


Defend and Protect

by MoodiestMags



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Angst, Anxiety, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Gal is messed up, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Gore, Post-Order 66, Slow Burn, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 67,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoodiestMags/pseuds/MoodiestMags
Summary: Lirii Telvas is a runaway from the depths of the Empire, and now an appreciated part of the Mantis crew. The mirialan has gone through a lot, from fights to capture, but never shied away from imperial conflict.Though, the new addition, Cal Kestis and inquisitors on their tail might be too much to handle.
Relationships: Cal Kestis/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

For the crew of the mantis, it was what you’d consider morning. Lirii, the newest mirialan member of the group, made a cup of caf as she settled herself onto the sofa. She’d been plagued with nightmares as of the past week, and woke earlier in a cold sweat. Cere was up before Greez for once, which never happened. The lateron liked to take over the kitchenette as his territory, before Lirii could get to it and “mess things up”. It wasn’t her fault he was ridiculously disorganized. 

“Oh! Lirii, you’re up early.” Cere commented, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Is there something wrong?” The mirialan shook her head in response, stoic and stubborn. A smile played across her features that was meant to dispel any worry, but didn’t quite meet her eyes.

The older woman sighed, making her way to the holotable. “Alright then. Could you set a course to these co-ordinates? Make it quick because I think Greez is almost up.”

Lirii nodded, setting down her cup of hot liquid and sliding into the captain’s chair. As she typed in the numbers, her brow furrowed. “Bracca? What do we need from a scrap planet?”

“It’s not what. It’s who.”

The mirialan turned in the chair after sending the ship into hyperspeed, a headache already blooming across her temple. “Ok, Cere. It’s far too early to play the pronoun game. Who do we need?”

“Someone I believe to be a Padawan. A force-user at least. The imperials there have just been waiting for him to slip up and prove their theory…” Cere acted as if Lirii as supposed to add something, but she didn’t and so she continued. “…and he has. Two inquisitors have just been called to Bracca.”

“ _Two_ Inquisitors? They want him that bad, huh?” Before Lirii could continue, Greez interrupted the conversation, yelling at her to get out of his seat.

“Captain, we’re heading to Bracca. That’s why the ship is already in hyperspace. There’s caf, you’ll probably need it.”

The stinger Mantis dropped out of hyperspeed just above the scrap planet’s atmosphere. There they waited for an hour or more until finally the inquisitorius squad showed up. Thankfully, the cloud cover was enough to hide the ship from their scanners, and Cere’s tech know-how gave them even more of an advantage.

“Keep the power signature low.” Lirii reminded from the back. Greez grumbled something about how he knew.

The mirialan didn’t watch like the rest of the crew, when the patrons of a train were filed out through lines of purge troopers. Instead, she prepared her medkit in case things went sideways. They usually did.

“Lirii, come look.” Greez urged, only to receive a nasty glare and a shake of her head in reply. Despite this, as she went to look for stitches, the loud whine of a TIE interceptor made her look to the front viewport to see it burst through the clouds and land.

Her eyes involuntarily locked on the two contrasting Inquisitors stepping towards the frightened scrappers. They were small so close to the rain-slicked ground but she knew who they were. In a bright clash of blue and red their Padawan was revealed, who looked as if he had no worries about attacking the Second Sister. _Brave, that one._ Lirii thought.

The moment she looked away she was sent flying as the ship took a dive and a few sharp turns to catch up with something. It was their target, who had fallen down into another train.

“I already hate this planet.” Lirii complained as she strapped into her seat at the front. When the door started to open, she turned to the back, seeing Cere attempt to get the kid’s attention. The door closed, and Cere held onto the sofa, the mirialan asked why they didn’t just grab them then. A loud rack of blaster fire returned as her answer, as the Mantis sped out of reach of the TIE reaper.

Luckily, the inquisitor’s ship careened out of her original flight path, seeing the quarry on top of the train. Lirii watched from the cockpit as the inquisitor shot down the train’s rail, sending the cars, and their Padawan, into a dangerous angle. She cringed as he hit boxes, wires and scrap, able to deduce some pretty nasty injuries from here.

This time it was the mirialan who rushed to the door, ready to catch the kid on the outstretched ramp. “Jump!” She urged, shimmying down the metal floor. Her breath was held as he flew through the air, looking as if he wouldn’t make it.

He made it, but barely. Elbows hiked up on wet metal, and slipping. Lirii tried to offer her hand, but he was too far away, and a TIE was closing in fast. To her shock and horror, he fell, hitting a ship part on his way down. The incoming fire from more troopers and fighters drove them back, unable to help the Padawan against the Second Sister that circled the lower decks.

It was a very long minute until the Mantis finally circled around, everyone watching with fear and anticipation as the two force-sensitives locked sabres. Blue and red clashing in bursts of purple. The captain made a split-second decision to fire a blaster bolt into the fray, sending both parties flying apart in a cloud of smoke.

Lirii took to the sofa, already prepping bacta strips, pads and sprays. As well as more traditional ways of fixing someone up; stitches, gauze and the like. Cere offered her hand to the padawan, who was holding his chest.

“Cere!” Lirii warned with a voice full of panic, already backing away from the door as the Second Sister began her approach. Once the Padawan was safely in the ship, Cere fired shot after shot at the inquisitor, who was picking up speed. She got closer and closer and closer, until the door closed and she sliced a molten streak into the durasteel. Greez wouldn’t be happy about that, but they could deal with his grumbling later.

The crew of the Mantis was barely able to catch their collective breath, when the Second Sister clambered onto the front of the cockpit. Reaching through the glass, she took hold of the control wheel, shifting the ship into a dangerous spin. That was until Cere was able to focus, and twisted the wheel to knock their adversary off. It was only when Greez sent the ship into hyperspace that they could relax. Mostly, at least.

“O-ok, turn that thing off and grab some seat.” Greez offered, looking wide-eyed at the rest of the crew. Cere weaved between the people, searching the scanners.

“Thanks for the help, but who are you people?” The boy asked after hesitantly sheathing the saber, looking to everyone as fast as his thoughts were racing.

“My name’s Cere Junda,” the older woman piped up. “This is our medic, Lirii Telvas.” Lirii nodded in greeting, anxiously tapping her fingers on her crossed arms. She was already assessing the damage at three feet away. “And this is our Captain, Greez Dritus.”

The lateron waved. “How do ya do? Look, the Mantis is my ship, but you better listen to this lady here.” One of his arms pointed at Cere.

“So..” Lirii began. “Who are you?” She tried to sound as calm as she could, but his injuries were pretty dire and needed treatment fast. The quicker this conversation could be over, the sooner she could do her thing.

“Cal. Kestis.” He paced awkwardly in the space before pointing to where they had left. “Who was that, back there?”

“An Imperial inquisitor. She’s a force-user hunting Jedi survivors.” Cere’s tone was grave. “And now that she knows who you are… she will not stop until she destroys you.”

Cal took no break trying to ease the pain away from his shoulder and instead gave the crew an accusatory look. “H-how do you know so much? Why’d you help me?”

The mirialan stepped in. “We track Imp communications. The Inquisitors had been sent to Bracca, so we made our move.”

“Yeah? What’s the bounty on Jedi these days?”

“That’s gratitude for ya..” Greez interjected. Lirii gave him a small kick in the shin.

“Look, I get it. We get it.” She gestured to Cere. “You’ve been running, surviving on your own for so long you feel like you can’t trust anyone. It’s what’s kept you alive.”

“But this is about something bigger than just surviving.” Cere took a step forward, leaving Lirii to prepare medical treatment.

“Like what?” Cal’s tone was almost aggressive, but no one could blame him for that. He was like a cornered animal, surrounded by people who say he can trust.

“Like rebuilding the Jedi Order.”

At those words, Kestis’ whole aggressive demeanour melted away. “You three? Is there anyone else?”

Greez mentioned something about the crew not being enough but he was ignored. “The Jedi Council?” His gaze drifted between the two women who were so concerned for his well-being. Lirii shook her head as she shifted through bandages.

“They’re gone.” Cere replied after some painful recollections.

“So I’m all you’ve got…”

She nodded, turning to their lateron compatriot. “Captain, set a course for Bogano.” Greez disappeared into the cockpit while Cere urged Cal to relax and get some help for his injuries. “Go, you’re safe. For now.”

Lirii sat Cal down in a back workroom, which she assumed would be his. She herself was taking up a two person room, but that was besides the point. Since her training in the clone wars, she knew how to patch up all kinds of wounds, and deal with the mental injuries too. It seemed the mirialan was very good at calming people down.

“Here, drink please.” Lirii offered a warm mixed drink. No alcohol, obviously, just a bunch of nice-tasting and calming spices blended into a kind of tea. He drank most of it, barely stopping to breathe.

“Ok, ok. Give it here.” She gently took the flask away, setting it on the cot they were sitting on. “Just breathe. In, out. In. Out.” Lirii patiently waited for his quickened pulse and breath to ease into a more manageable level. The Padawan still looked terrified, but calmed down enough she could at least hold a small conversation.

“So you mind if I fix up those cuts? And possibly have a look at that bruising? I saw you fall, it didn’t look good.”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, sure. Do I have to undress?” Cal replied, a thousand yard stare in his eyes.

Lirii chuckled, trying her best to alleviate any tension. “It would help, just the short though.” Upon seeing him wince considerably, she got it off, making sure it was put in the wash on the way to Bogano. 

Quietly, she worked with practiced hands to place the bacta pads and stitches where they were needed. Even adding a mesh covering for a saber strike to his shoulder. For Cal Kestis, there was very little pain caused by the whole thing. Something she’d put on before, or maybe that tea he drunk so willingly.

 _Stop it._ He cursed himself. _They’re trying to help._

“Where’d you learn to do that?” The sudden breaking of silence almost made Lirii jump. Almost.

“Oh, I was on the sidelines of the Clone Wars. Sometimes the troops would be overwhelmed, and not have enough of their own to heal the wounded. Some of their generals would consider them disposable. I didn’t, so I did my best to help. Ended up learning a lot.” She explained, finishing up on the last bit of cracked rib.

“Did you ever meet their general?” Cal replied.

“Maybe once or twice? I uh…got in the way a lot. Think she was a togruta, but I can’t remember any details. Anyways, you should be alright. It’ll be sore and stiff, and I’ll have to change the dressing tomorrow.”

He stood carefully, thanking her for the patching up. Before he could return to the crew, he was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion, almost falling to the floor. Luckily, Lirii caught him, placing him down on the cot. “Oh! Ok you need to sleep. I’ll get someone to wake you up before we arrive. Is that alright?”

He only nodded tiredly. To be honest, she couldn’t blame him after what he just went through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I finally rewrote this thing! After looking through the first draft, I realized I didn’t like where it was going, so I just did it again.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy the new and improved Defend and protect. Comments and kudos really help!


	2. Chapter 2

Lirii fell asleep herself, on the sofa. She was awoken by strangled yells and talking echoing from the newest member’s room. The yells made her sit bolt upright, looking around fervently for the source of the noises. Once she remembered where she was she took a deep, slow breath, swiping the hair off her forehead with a sigh.

Greez went to wake the kid up, as Cere was meditating in her room. For whatever reason, the mirialan decided to keep lying there, though she curled up her legs if someone wanted to sit.

While their new Padawan was sleeping, Cere had been practicing the Hallikset for the first time in years. Lirii hadn’t seen her even touch the thing since the time she was picked up.

To her surprise, the sleepy Cal picked up the instrument, and started playing. Only a few chords, but it wasn’t like he was new to playing. He just started strumming slowly with his eyes closed.

It was at this point that Cere had silently joined them.

“That song…I wrote it.” She began, standing on the steps. “Years ago.” Cal still held the Hallikset, seeming as if he had come out of a trance. “You touch an object and witness events connected to it. You feel it’s history.”

“It’s an echo in the force from the object.” Cal replied, setting down the stringed instrument next to the table.

“Not many Jedi have that skill.” Cere finally sat down and Lirii, eager to listen to the conversation but not wanting to show it, casually got up to grab a plate of food.

“How would you know that?”

“I was once a Jedi. But not anymore.”

Cal took a breath. “Do I know you?” He asked, almost desperate for an answer.

“No. But I knew your master, Jaro Tapal. He was a true guardian of the Republic.” Cere said, remembering memories from a better time. A time before the Empire, but that was all in the past now.

“He was a hero.” The Padawan took a few moments, thinking to himself before deciding to open up. At least somewhat. “Listen… Something happened to me during the purge. I survived, but my connection with the force is damaged. If I meditate, let my guard down, I lose control. A-and it’s like I’m back in that moment when…”

“You survived, Cal. And you’re not alone. Not anymore.” Cere replied. Just as Lirii had sat down to offer her own consolations, Greez called them up to the cockpit, as they were approaching their destination of Bogano.

Once they touched down on the surface of the planet, it was up and out for both Cere and Cal. Lirii joined the older woman at the base of the ramp that led into the ship. Mud squelched under her boots, it’s rich earthy smell making its way into the very fabric. The sun was warm on Lirii’s face as she and Cere watched the new apprentice walk through the tall blades of grass, peering into Bogling dens and getting scared when one jumped out.

“Do you want to go with him? Introduce yourself properly?” Cere mentioned, catching the mirialan gaze after their new addition.

“I’ve introduced myself.”

“Well, I introduced you but we’ll leave it at that.”

The ex-Jedi wouldn’t push the issue further, not with that tone. After a while, he became a speck in the vast expanse of green, grey and brown that was Bogano.

Cere invited Lirii back inside to practice meditation. Lirii didn’t really like trying anymore, not with the force, not meditating, and certainly not forms or sparring with her sabers. She groaned in protest, but the older ex-jedi insisted.

“We could practice outside. The noise might make it easier.” She said, trying to convince her crew mate.

“Cere, we’ve tried this before. It’s not going to work. Not here, not in the ship; I don’t want to keep sitting for hours on end with nothing happening.” Lirii replied, just wanting to work on some music or relax.

“There’s no harm in trying, Lirii.”

The mirialan sighed heavily. “Fine. Choose the place.”

Cere and her trainee sat under the Mantis, in the cool shade on some grass. Cere kneeled down and Lirii begrudgingly followed. After a while of controlled breathing, the younger moved to a more comfortable seating position, as kneeling for an extended period of time is rather painful.

“Do you remember how to breathe properly?” Cere asked, watching the mirialan close her eyes.

“Yes. Breathe in, hold for three seconds, breathe out, hold for three. I remember.” Lirii focused her mind on connecting to the ground around her, to the rustle of the grass, the gentle rumble of the binog sleeping. She saw briefly the zeffo temple, and how much memory there was stored there, but only briefly.

Then, the dark. Red flashed before her closed eyes, screams of pain clouded her thoughts, and the fear, again tore down walls she had so carefully built up. And suddenly, nothing. A void stood before her, as if she was sinking into a pool of nothingness.

It felt like hours before Lirii escaped the void, falling forward onto the grass, propped up by one arm. She couldn’t hear when Cere asked what happened, only rose to her feet, steadying herself against the underside of the Mantis.

“I…I’m fine. Cere, really.” Lirii ran a hand through her hair.

“Lirii, you don’t look fine. You look like you’re about to-“

As if on cue, the mirialan medic hunched over, expelling what meagre meals she had that day.

“Throw up. I’m sorry, let’s get you back to the ship.” Lirii allowed Cere to accompany her back to her room, where she bundled up in an old jacket and fetched herself some tea and medicine to make her feel better.

Not like that stuff did much, as she still felt horrible and closed off when Cal returned. He’d been talking to Cere and Greez, who was clearly displeased with the little droid that scurried at his feet. The conversation had drawn her out of her room to the sofa where Cal sat, talking to his new companion called BD-1

“Hello.” Lirii said, sitting opposite the Padawan.

“Hey, Lirii. You okay?” Cal replied.

“I’m good, don’t worry.” She cracked a barely genuine smile. “So what about you? What happened out there?”

Cal thought for a moment, about the crew, the planet, their mission. “Bogano’s quite the planet. It’s so quiet, and the Empire doesn’t know about it which is good.”

“Tell me about it.” Lirii added.

“But BD and I went to explore the Zeffo temple. We’re on a mission now, to find a holocron.”

“A holocron? That’s what Cere’s so happy about? I haven’t seen her this excited for years, let alone smile.” Lirii looked to the focus of their conversation, slicing codes in the cockpit with a smile on her face as the ship zoomed into hyperspace once more. “You’ve done something special, Cal Kestis. And you, BD-1.”

The little droid trilled, hopping from one foot to the other. Then directed some more beeps at Cal. “Oh, right. You said you’d have to replace these bandages? If you want to.”

“Definitely. Is it ok if I do them in your room? Mines a bit of a mess.” Lirii replied.

“It’s no problem.”

“Great.”

Glad this new addition gave her something to put her mind to other than the failed meditation attempt, she sat him down on his cot and told him to wait while she got another medkit from her stockpile. He was still there when she returned, but for some reason she was surprised. If that were her when she first joined the crew, she would’ve bolted. Careful of any exposed wounds beneath, Cal followed her direction to take off the shirt of his rigging gear, setting it in a crumpled mess on the cot beside him. He flinched at the gentle prodding hands that removed the off-white bandages around his shoulder.

“That’ll scar. Only so much bacta can do.” Lirii stated, ignoring the churning in her stomach as she reached to grab another sterile packet of the magic healing gel.

“What’s one more?” Cal half-joked. He was right, though. The scars along his shoulders diverse in both colour and severity. She’d have to ask about them at some point, just not now.

“So you’ve got psychometry, right?” Lirii said, avoiding eye contact with Cal as she dabbed more bacta gel into the healing saber wound. “That must be difficult, considering where you were.”

“Yeah, it was. Is, I guess. But we have to accept the past right?” He tried to smile, but the pain behind it told a different story.

“The past is hard to accept for me.” At this, Cal found her gaze as she glanced up. “Most of it, anyway.”

“What did the Empire take from you?” He asked. “I just mean- you must not like them if your with this crew.”

“Everyone. My friends, my family. They took everything.”

“I’m sorry. Were you a Jedi too, like Cere?”

“No.” Lirii laughed sadly. “A Padawan.”

“Did I know you before the purge? Seems like everyone knows me but I don’t know who they are.” Lirii had finished with the dressings, so she pulled up her own seat.

“I don’t think so. There were so many divisions it’s impossible to know everyone, especially since we were pretty isolated. But I knew my battalion…”

“You survived.” Cal replied. “I’m sorry if I brought up any sore memories.”

“It’s behind me now. Even if it is hard to look back on, we all have to face our pasts one time or another. On a different note, your dressings are done so you can put your shirt back on.”

“Thank you, I feel way better already.”

Lirii let out a small laugh. “No problem, any time. Thank you for dealing with my rambling” She left quickly to make dinner before Greez could get a hold of the kitchen.

Cal looked around at his new living space, eyes following the light at the end that circled around and around in a continuous loop as the hyperdrive whirred. He shivered and stood, feeling the vibrations of the ship beneath his feet before following his crewmate out and into the galley

The adventure companion droid chirped at Lirii, who was chopping up an unknown root vegetable.

“Hello, little guy. What, this? Oh, it’s a scrub root, from Mirial. We’re having a stew tonight.” BD trilled back, hopping across the large pot on the stove.

“Ha, yes you can scan it.”

As she added the vegetable to the simmering pot of broth, the bright blue scanning light passing over the food. Within an hour or so, the hot soup was ready, a mix of various vegetables and dewback meat

Cal Kestis joined the rest of the group at the corner sofa, taking a bowl of the rich foodstuff. The mirialan cook waited around, not hungry even after spending an hour on the meal.

“So? How is it?” She asked the rest of the crew, sitting on the table, legs crossed. Greez looked impressed, as if she hadn’t made a meal before and not burnt anything. Cere was enjoying it, as far as her expression told. Cal seemed grateful to get such a home cooked meal.

“Mm. It’s not bad, kid. Not bad. I would add a bit more spice, but that’s just me.” Greez replied.

“Don’t listen to him, I think it’s great.” Cal interjected. “BD said it seemed good too.”

Lirii chuckled. “Thanks, guys. I’m assuming you didn’t get much in the way of a ‘homemade from scratch’ meal on Bracca, Cal?”

“No, not very often. Sometimes my friend would take me to a cantina in the city, but their food was always kind of…” he picked up a piece of meat with his spoon. “Bleh? I don’t know. This stuff though, it’s really good.”

“Well, between her and Greez, it’s always a fight to make anything. But here you can guarantee it’s homemade, and usually pretty good.” Cere replied.

“Yeah if it’s me.” Lirii coughed, deciding to grab another bowl for herself. BD-1 hopped up on the top of the couch, curiously watching with beeps and chirps. “I’m going to check how far we’ve got left to go.” Their Latero captain made a comment about her not spilling anything, but the bowl of stew was left behind.

The girl yawned as she checked the scanners, typing in the appropriate coordinates. “Another half hour until we reach the planet of witches and Rancors! If it’s all the same to everyone, I’m going to go take a nap.”

The crew mumbled an “okay” and Lirii retreated to her room, not forgetting her bowl of now-cold soup. Before she fell asleep, she drank what broth there was and left the vegetables and meat to eat when she got back up. Hopefully someone would’ve taken the initiative to make some caf.

No manner of emptiness filled her sleep, in that hour she was unconscious. A nightmare, similar to the ones she’d had before, but somehow clearer. This time, she walked through a shallow mud valley, slick with a recent downpour. Something chased her, invisible yet imposing. Try as she might, she couldn’t run, and her dream-self didn’t seem to care.

It was like she was trapped inside her own mind, begging whatever body she had to move. Run! Jump! Fight! Anything at all would be better then standing there. It always ends the same, with her sinking into the dark, full of torment and fog. Not peaceful, not calm. Terrifying.

Cere’s knock on her door jolted Lirii awake. “We’re here.” She called.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there’s a chapter! Hope you all enjoyed this one, and more will soon follow. 
> 
> Kudos and comments always help, thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

For what seemed like the third time that day, Lirii got up, tired and panicked. She made herself some of that tea she gave Cal when he was picked up from Bracca, god knows the mirialan would need it. Due to their creepy destination, it was easy to pass off her restless sleep as some sort of anticipation. 

“Lirii, you were yelling in your sleep. You know you can tell me if something’s bothering you.” Cere ambushed her before she could reach the front of the ship.   
The girl huffed, facepalming as she tried to ignore the older woman.   
“Lirii.” Cere’s authoritarian tone made her turn around, feeling like a Padawan again.

“I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel…Off. More than usual, anyway.” 

“Is it because of the inquisitors? Or something different?” Cere offered. 

“Well, it’s been increasingly hard to keep the dark away. Now we’ve got a whole new crew member, and the Second Sister is right back on our trail. Not like she wasn’t before..I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t bring her up.” 

“Don’t accuse yourself of my mistakes.” The older human replied, and knew something was really off when Lirii pulled her into a hug. It was very quick, as neither of them were comfortable, but they both needed a bit of support to get through that day. 

The mirialan wiped a tear from her face with her sleeve, taking a seat in the cockpit of the Mantis with the rest of the crew.   
“Hey, you good?” Cal asked, receiving only a short nod and a fake smile in return. BD scurried up to her little alcove in the front, checking out what she was doing.

“Just doing dome research, little guy. Dathomir is a dangerous place, lots of nasty creatures and people. Ever heard of Darth Maul? Savage Opress?” The droid shook its head. “Ok, well they’re from Dathomir. Then,” Lirii flipped through the book on her desk, “there’s the Nightsisters. Force-wielders with a talent for what they call magick. Luckily, or unluckily, they were all killed by General Grievous in the clone wars.” 

The Mantis landed on the rough, red surface of Dathomir. Large canyons surrounding them, some carved in the facade of long dead witches. Overall, with the monotone colour scheme, the overgrown plants and the dozens of crawling creatures, it was pretty unsettling. 

Cal called his droid up to him. BD hopped away onto Cal’s poncho, ready for another adventure, no matter the setting. Greez and Cere were definitely staying inside the ship, as both were uncomfortable with the place. Lirii was too, though she longed for some fresh air, even if it smelled of blood and dirt. Cere insisted the two stay together, but Lirii was only half listening.

The Padawan looked a little confused at his crew-mate joining him outside. BD-1 however, was overjoyed at someone else participating in their quest. 

“You’re coming, too?” Cal asked, slowing down to meet the same pace as Lirii. 

“I just want to have a look around, that’s all. Probably not for long, though, I’m pretty tired.”

“No problem. Do you have a weapon of some sort? From what you said, this place isn’t as calm as it looks.” 

Lirii unclipped a blaster from her thigh, showing it off and putting it back. “Just this. It’s done enough for me before.” 

“No lightsaber?” 

“No.” She replied, face stern. “Shall we?” Her arm outstretched, she gestured to the only available path. As they walked, the ground slid out from a ledge they were about to stand on.   
“Good thing we weren’t standing on that, huh?”

BD beeped and whistled in response while Lirii stared at the wall of leaves before them. Her face turned into a look of confusion and impression as Cal jumped for them without hesitation. 

“Come on, I’ll catch you if you fall!” He called, already clambering sideways. 

_It’s just like training, you can do this. What happened to the strong, agile person that could scale a wall, with or without vines?_  
Lirii jumped for the wall, holding on way too tight when she got there. She relaxed her white-knuckle grip when Cal assured her she was doing great. “You could be a scrapper in no time!” He joked. 

“Thanks!” Lirii replied. 

A large tasked creature silenced them both when it peered it’s ugly head over the wall they were climbing. No one out of the three had any idea what it was, and didn’t really want to get in a fight with it. It wandered off to bat some spiders into mush just as the two climbed up to the plateau. 

“If I go have a look around, can you handle yourself?” The mirialan asked, tying her jacket around her shoulders to keep off the burning sun. To be honest, she was a bit worried how burnt her crew mate would be, but pushed those thoughts out of her head. 

“Yeah, just be careful.” Cal said, looking around for the beast that had gone around a corner. 

“You too.”

\- - - 

After about an hour of wondering if certain cliffs were climb-able, or trying not to break possibly sentimental pots, Lirii found some paintings on the walls. She realized too late the increase of weaved doorways, wrought-metal fences and actual torches. 

The feeling of being watched only grew as the mirialan advanced into a cave, seeing a large bonfire deeper in. Scattered bones, weapons and ornaments lay across the dusty floor, from a war not that long ago. She could imagine the brave Nightsisters fighting back against Grievous and Dooku, being overwhelmed with blasters and lightsabers alike. 

A loud footfall broke her train of thought. Lirii turned, half-expecting to see Cal. She was instead met with the towering, horned from of a Nightbrother. Just in time, she rolled out of the way of his incoming attack. Her surprise at his lack of hesitation almost cost her her life. 

_Really losing your touch, aren’t you?_ That annoying, currently unhelpful voice in the back of her head nagged. It was her own, but not at the same time. Chest heaved as Lirii focused on her current situation, blood pounding in her ears.   
More warriors came at the behest of her attacker, and now was the time to move, or get crushed by the spiked mace the zabrak was swinging around. 

A few blaster bolts did nothing except anger the warriors further, as if some sort of supernatural ability had a hand in their strength. There was something she could try, as they were catching up. Lirii hadn’t attempted a force push in a long time, and as the Mantis came into view, she knew she couldn’t lead them there. 

Reaching out into the deep roots of the Force that were so prevalent here, she focused enough of it to push the small angry mob back a few feet. It felt good, weird, but good to use what power she had; and as a plus, there was no longer any fallout, as of now. 

She could see Cal was on his way back to the Mantis as well, also in a hurried pace. Though not nearly as urgent as Lirii’s.   
“Hey!” She called, just grabbing his attention before some sort of arrow hit her in the arm she was waving. It caused her to roll into the dust and yell, but she was used to pain and got up, the bolt still wedged under her rib cage.

When she took the risk of jumping a large gorge, the group of assaulting Nightbrothers fell behind. Cal ran to her side, wanting to help but not knowing how to. The mirialan insisted she could take care of it, but was told to sit down on the couch where other people could help. 

“Did you two separate? I told you not to!” Cere reminded them. 

“Yes, and I was stupid enough to wander into a Nightbrother camp. Back off! Please, I’ve got this.” Lirii replied with a bark in her voice. She didn’t mean to sound so agitated, but there were a lot of people surrounding her and she was in a mild amount of pain.

BD-1 was kind enough to offer a stim when she pulled the bolt out of her side. She thanked the little droid and was as good as new, only a bacta patch now covered where the thing had hit. 

“Cal, did you find anything?” Lirii asked her worried friend. 

The Padawan put down the medkit he was looking at. “The Zeffo were here, that’s for sure. There’s also a resident Nightsister, who did not like me very much at all.” 

“A Nightsister? I thought they were all dead.” 

“I guess one escaped.” He replied. Their Captain interrupted, asking where they wanted to go next. There wasn’t much of a choice, either Bogano or Zeffo, and they had already been to one.  
Zeffo it was, and another three-ish hours on the ship. 

Since Greez had already called dibs on the kitchen for tonight, Lirii snuck to the fridge and brought out two homemade ration bars.   
“I’ll warn you now, when Greez cooks it’s way too much seasoning and not enough actual food. These should keep you from starving if it’s really bad.” 

Cal laughed, taking the bars from Lirii. “Thanks.” He leaned closer to whisper “I’ll probably end up using them. Did you see how much stuff he put on that dewback stew?”   
This made the mirialan chuckle, giving her compatriot a friendly jab to the shoulder. 

“There used to be an outpost on Mimban, where I was deployed. They’d sell rations to the clones, I don’t know why but they were really good. It’s probably just honey, grains and some dried fruit, but it was nice to have something sweet when all you’ve got is mud. Anyway, that’s where I got this recipe.” 

Cal and Lirii continued a more casual conversation after he wanted to learn how to properly apply a bacta patch, or how to sew a saber wound shut. Lirii explained that unless you’ve been doing it for a long time, putting stitches in yourself is very awkward. “Next time you get nicked with a lightsaber, I will show you. I promise.” She said.

  
As the ship sped through space on their way to Zeffo, Greez had begun cooking. What started out smelling quite lovely, ended up becoming something more alike to smashing your head into a fragile bowl full of very intense spice. Even Cere, who had been working with Greez the longest, stared at her plate, trying to hide the obvious disgust on her face.

“So, how is it? Great right?” The cook asked, not really waiting for an answer before going on about how all of the spices were grown on Lateron, how good they taste when added to a scazz steak with fruit juice.   
Lirii and Cal made eye contact, giggling at the small inside joke they’d made. She just hoped her brain wouldn’t do the thing where it would send a random wave of anger, sadness or guilt. Or it could pull the really bad card and make her feel so stressed she’d be physically ill. 

There she goes, the thought of it already filling her head. Who knows how long it will take to be rid of it. 

BD-1 jumped up on Cal’s back, scanning over the food much to their latero’s displeasure, before jumping away to watch from the top of the counter.

“That droid, I swear.” Greez began.

“He’s not bad, and he can be very helpful.” At Cere’s praise, the adventure droid trilled, happy he was getting the recognition he deserved.  
“I think he’s quite the droid. Lot of experience I bet.” Lirii replied

“Yes he’s quite the help. And good company for crawling around in ancient tombs and such.” Cal added, sneaking the food off his plate and into the fridge. It would be rude to just throw it out.

By the end of the meal Zeffo was fast approaching. Everyone had to be buckled in for them to land safely, and Cal was looking worried. Greez told him to relax, it was “just turbulence”, but they all knew it was dangerous. The fact that they landed at all was a relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Dathomir didn’t work out. Time for Zeffo!
> 
> I’m surprising myself getting these chapters out. A case of writers block almost hit me today, but I took a break and worked through it!  
> Looking forward to the end of my school year next week, as I’ll be able to focus more on the things I really like doing.
> 
> Kudos and comments always help! Thank you all for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

There was no time to rest. Cal took ten minutes to meditate, even though he didn’t catch a wink of sleep the day before, but apart from that, the rest of the crew had to be on high alert.

It was no secret that the Empire had been here for a while, and still were. Luck was the only thing that kept the TIE fighter patrols from catching the Mantis on their scanners. Or it could be the magnetic forces from the massive storm that surrounded them. Even Cere, who could patch into top secret frequencies in less than half an hour, was having a hard time even getting the comms working.

Outside was spectacularly windy. Lirii pulled her hair back into a knot, thinking it was getting pretty long and she should cut it. Greez dared to venture outside for once, although sticking very close to the ship. After Cal finished meditating, he joined the rest of the crew outside, catching Lirii staring at the tail end of a crashed Venator.

“Hey!” His loud greeting scared the mirialan probably more than it should’ve. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, it’s alright. Was just staring at that star destroyer.” She replied.

“Are you going to be coming with me this time?” Cal asked, glancing at a passing TIE fighter. 

“I don’t think so, sorry. It’s just with the Empire being here, y’know? Though I probably won’t stick around the Mantis.”

“Why?”

“Because last time, Cere got me to meditate and I had a panic attack. Since the Purge I haven’t been able to let any walls down.” Lirii explained, looking to the ground.

“I could help, if you’d let me. It was the same with me after the Purge too.”

“We’ll see. You had better get a move on, Cal.” She replied, urging her companion to go. “Don’t drag any troopers back here!” The mirialan called when he had jogged away.

“I’ll try!” Cal yelled back.

After the Padawan was out of sight, Cere finally made a connection to Cal’s communicator. Lirii had already told the crew that she was going to have a look around. The ex-Jedi of the group was not very happy with her decision. The medic insisted that she wouldn’t instigate anything with the local stormtroopers, and if she did go out, to cover her face.

The mirialan did disguise herself, with a hood to cover her hair and a mask that covered her tattoos.

With her limited range she was willing to go, Lirii found herself at the entrance to some Imperial facility, the door locked shut. Thankfully, she still had her master key, stolen from a very secure base. 

When the door opened, two paths revealed themselves. One was a dangerous slide down a smooth tunnel of ice, the other an imperial transport downward. Lirii assumed both led to the same place, but there would be more of a crowd by the end of the car ride.

No matter how much she promised herself that she was strong, with no fear left to spare for the Empire, it still stung to be in such close proximity to them. The sound of screeching metal stalled her thoughts, bringing all attention to the tram bringing something up from whatever excavation lie beneath. 

There were a few boxes nearby, but they were far too small to crawl into or hide behind. It seemed the stone pillar in the middle would prove the only place to tuck away. Good thing, too, as two stormtroopers and their commander came up.

One turned to the boxes, taking his helmet off and sifted through a bag. “Did you take my rations?” The Trooper said to his comrades.

“No, must’ve been a Scazz. Don’t leave your stuff lying out next time.”

“Damned rats. Can I have some of yours then?”

The commander sat down, and Lirii rolled her eyes. _Are they really having a lunch break here?_ “No. You should have thought about the rats before you left out your rations.”

The three stormtroopers sat there for what must’ve been about half an hour, except for the one who lost his lunch, who was just standing around. Lirii didn’t know whether they’d stay and find her, or if she should just wait, but waiting wasn’t her strong suit.

Carefully, she reached out to grab a rock with the Force. It was rather funny when one of the troopers caught sight of it.

“Agh! Floating rock!” The one who lost his lunch yelled, aiming his blaster at the anomaly. 

“Isn’t that Jedi on Zeffo? Maybe it’s him.”

“Last report I heard he was down in the tomb. He can’t be up here already, it took us a whole hour to navigate those caves.” The commander reasoned. “It’s probably just something up with the storm.”

Again, the mirialan couldn’t believe their stupidity. Well, she could, as she’d worked with and against similar soldiers. In response, she sent the stone flying into one of their torsos and back into the ice slide. Just as she planned, the three of them, including the now injured one, went to investigate.

Quickly, and as silently as she could, Lirii got up and pushed them all into the cavern. It was strangely satisfying to see them slide down the ice, helpless. 

Lirii decided it was time to return to the Mantis.

Cere was busy with the comms, informing Cal of Imperial activities. He said he was a good way through the tomb. Once the older woman was satisfied he hadn’t been snatched up by stormtroopers, she turned to her younger crewmate.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“Yep. Just pushed a couple stormtroopers down a crevasse and I’m feeling good.”

“Lirii, I’m glad you’re feeling better, but we should not take amusement in the injury of others.” Cere lectured.

The mirialan ignored her comment, choosing instead to watch the imperial scanners Cere had sliced. Greez returned to the cabin after staring at some growing plants for twenty minutes, saying he should get dinner started for when Cal gets back. Lirii got up, quickly spouting “no I’m making dinner!”

She, and the rest of the crew were knocked off their feet or rocked in their chair.

“What the hell was that?!” Greez yelled.

With a quick glance out the door before it was shut tight, Lirii turned back with a worried look on her face. “Walker! AT-ST! Where is Cal?” 

Cere turned to the comms, patching in through the Imperial barricade. He was close, that was certain. Even more so when the flash of a blue saber lit up the darkening outdoor sky. No one could risk going out there to help and leave the inside of the Mantis exposed, so he was on his own. 

Lirii was rather impressed at Cal’s skill with a saber, but was silently judging his technique along the way. Not like she’d had much practice in the past year, but he was pretty hack-and-slash with those movements.

Nevertheless, it got the job done. The AT-ST toppled to the ground with a loud crash, the pilot slashed in half soon after.

“You’ve got some real skill with that thing!” Greez commented, getting ready to leave. “Don’t tell me this trip was for nothing though.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t.” Cere cut in. “Did you find anything?”

“Cordova mentioned a Zeffo artifact and a Wookiee chieftain named Tarful. Both on Kashyyyk.”

Greez and Lirii looked at each other, apparently thinking the same thing.

“Kashyyyk, I don’t know. Things are really bad down there. The Empires pushing in on those Wookiees big time.”

“Then we better get ready for a fight.” Cal threw a friendly punch at their captain before moving to the back of the ship. This time, it was Cere who ambushed him, asking about how his relationship with the force was.

Lirii was on her way to get some much needed shut-eye until she heard the conversation turn to Cere, and her apprentice, Trilla. As to avoid suspicions of eavesdropping, she leaned into the fridge, just listening.

“Is she alive?”

Cere glanced at the girl staring vacantly into the fridge, choosing her words carefully. “No.” She said finally, standing up. “But that’s why we have to keep fighting. To make sure their deaths weren’t for nothing.”

“And we will. I promise.” Cal replied.

— - — 

It had been decided that Bogano was their next heading, for some rest and recuperation after the long trek through Zeffo. Cal left the ship, searching for the other Padawan crewmate who had taken off into the grass and mud. Greez had no idea where she went, neither did Cere. The latter did however point out a hidden workshop of Cordova’s as a possible place she would be.

Cere was right. Lirii sat, cross-legged on a dusty pillow, trying her hardest to meditate. The Padawan and his droid made sure they didn’t sneak up on her, knocking on the door before entering and putting effort into making their footfalls louder. There was no need, she wasn’t in the right headspace anyway.

“Hello, Cal.” Lirii sighed, getting up from her seat.

“Isn’t it a bit dark to meditate in here?” He replied, gesturing to the room while BD-1 scampered off, scanning as he went.

“I don’t think so. There are some candles so you can see, but all in all I prefer a more mellow lighting. Not pitch black, though.” Lirii gestured to a row of candles, slowly dripping wax onto the metal workbench.

Cal looked around the room while his friend dusted off the pillow he’s was sitting on. The amount of echoes in the Force here were insane. Every pot, statuette, tool, had a deep history.

Just as he was about to check them out, a bright scanning light lit up a shiny object on the floor.

_“Beep bwoo boo!”_ BD chirped, hopping back onto Cal’s shoulder.

“Is that a-?” He almost reached for it, until Lirii got it.

“My lightsaber, yes. I built it myself.” At this, he was surprised. Not only was it rare for a Jedi to still have a lightsaber, but for it to be theirs that they made, no modifications or parts sold. That was unbelievable.

“It’s very well made.” This was true, but hard to see in the dim light. “Are you using it to practice?” The Padawan asked.

“Thank you, and not for sparring. I’m trying to reconnect with it, and the Force. Since the purge, it’s been…” Lirii trailed off

“I understand. Well how about we start with some basic meditation, just leaving the lightsaber out of it. Sometimes things can create more of a distraction than necessary.” Cal settled down in a kneeling position next to where his mirialan companion was.

“Okay. It’s just been really hard to stay in my mind for long. I get too deep, and I get sick or panic. Overwhelmed would be a good word for it.” She explained, returning to her seat.

“I understand, trust me.” The Padawan replied, trying to ignore the clear flaw in the force from the weapon. “Start by just breathing, focus on each breath, nothing else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for reading! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated, either by kudos or comments.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed, and the next chapter should be up in a couple days, as usual.


	5. Chapter 5

Lirii rolled the saber away, closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing. It had been a long time since she was this calm with meditation. Strangely, there was something better about having someone who walked her back through the steps of letting her mind go, as if she was a youngling again.

“Breathe in…hold…breathe out…” She heard Cal say, voice growing faint with every inhale and exhale, until she had drowned out its sound.

From the serenity, true darkness returned, the loneliness, too. Lirii was so close to fully relaxing, and it just had to come back. Her breath hitched, inhaling quick and shaky. Until the feeling of a hand placed over hers almost snapped her completely out of it.

 _It’s alright. Your isolation is an illusion._ A voice that certainly wasn’t hers took up the forefront of her head. _You’re safe here._ The hand returned to its owner, taking the dark, suffocating void with it. Suddenly, Lirii woke up. Or thought she did. A brighter light overtook the hall she was in, gold and white streaming in through…were those windows?

The mirialan rose to her feet, Bogano, the abode and Cal nowhere to be seen. Everything around her should’ve been comforting or familiar at least, and it was. On the surface, it resembled a Jedi temple on Spintir her and her master visited once; but something was off. A haze covered the scene, adding a slight blur.

“Hello?” Lirii called, almost sinking into a defensive stance. Echoes of her voice bounced off the walls, but sounded weird too. Almost a shrill, mocking tone that continued to fade until it was a constant din that didn’t go away.

This was weird.

With no idea how to get out of this, the ex-Padawan began walking forward at a casual pace. She only got so far before another voice rang out behind her, silvery and clear.

“Padawan? Where have you run off to?” Lirii spun around, brow furrowed at the disembodied voice of what should’ve been her former Master. Curious, she began to walk back to where she came from.

As the mirialan passed where she entered, the tall, montrailed silhouette of her Master came up on a wall of pale gold mist.

“Padawan. I see you hiding there.” The shadow spoke. “Come into the light.”

Why was she hesitating? Truthfully, she blamed herself for what had happened to her master after the purge, she was sure others did too. But was she ready to face all her mistakes? Master Kylak would understand, mistakes were acceptable, as long as one learned from them.

The girl took a breath and walked through the mist. There she was, her Jedi Master from years ago. “There you are, Lirii. Look at your robes, playing in the mud again?” Master Kylak chuckled.

“Training, Master! Always training.” A voice so foreign left Lirii’s lips. Out of nowhere, she was an apprentice again, with the robes of brown and faded green. Admittedly, they _were_ covered in mud.

“Well you forgot something.” In her hands was the saber she’d discarded. “You know you shouldn’t leave your lightsaber around.” The togruta mentor approached her former Padawan, extending her hand for the girl to take back her weapon.

Upon contact with the metal hilt, Lirii was back to the age she was before speaking. Looking down she saw her robes, matted with blood, torn from battle. A gasp left her lungs as she turned to her Master, still with a grip on her weapon.

She was covered in dark blood that seeped from cuts no person could survive. It stained her robes and leaked from her mouth and nose when she spoke. Her eyes were almost luminous despite the gore, and the calm reverence in her voice only furthered to unnerve the girl before her.

“I’m so proud of you, my Padawan.”

The faint ringing in Lirii’s ears grew to an overwhelming clangour, the pale haze swallowing her form before she could do anything.

“Master!” Her eyes snapped open, arm outstretched and gripping the lightsaber. Cal, who had been sitting beside her, jumped at her yell. He had been waiting for nearly an hour for her to get up, knowing it wasn’t very nice to be jolted out of meditation. It seemed she’d done that herself, though.

“What happened?! Are you ok?” Cal asked, BD-1 now perched on his back.

Lirii jumped away from the Padawan, desperately trying to take back control of her erratic breaths. She opened her mouth to speak, but only more sobs came, despite her attempts to push them down. As much as Cal tried to comfort, Lirii wouldn’t let him see her tears and cried into the dark shadows circling the room. The Padawan could feel the flurry of emotions radiating off her. Guilt, anger, fear, sorrow. Lirii cursed herself for being so weak as to have a breakdown in front of anyone, but at least it was Cal there for support should she need it. _No. You’re being pathetic._ A cruel, cold voice reminded her. She sniffled greatly each in feeble attempts to stop the flow of guilt. But one side knew that that voice was a liar from a time that had passed.

“I.” She began, forcing down the lump in her throat. “I saw my master, as she died. It was stupid of me to even go up to her. The whole thing was out of place, I should’ve trusted my instincts. But, her blood was all over my hands.” Again, the mirialan broke down, propped up on her elbows and knees. Cal took it upon himself to offer some physical support, picking his friend up. Lirii froze when he put his hand on her arm, shivering from the shock.

“I’m sorry.” She breathed.

“You’re okay, it’s over now. Do you want to talk about it?” He said.

“No. But I’d like to change the subject.” Finally, the final tears were begging to ebb; replaced with a different mask than she usually wore, an impartial look and demeanour to cover up the guilt inside.

“When was the last time you meditated?” The Padawan asked, grabbing a canteen off his belt. “Water?”

She nodded, taking a little more than a sip from the canister. “Not for a long time. Not peacefully, anyway.” Lirii handed the canteen back, but Cal declined.

“No, you have the rest. I’m not thirsty.” He smiled solemnly. “Should we head back to the Mantis? Cere might want to know what happened.”

“Please don’t!” She made the Padawan flinch with her suddenly raised voice. “I don’t want Cere to know, she’s got enough on her mind already.”

“Okay. But let’s head back, it’s getting pretty dark.”

The sky was turning into a deep shade of purple now, with just enough light to navigate back to the ship. By the time they got there, Cere had been waiting on the ramp for the two to return. Once assured both of them were okay, they all went inside, where Greez had made a sort of breakfast-for-dinner thing. Surprisingly, it actually wasn’t bad. Maybe Cere told him to go easy on the seasoning.

The ex-Jedi kept an eye on Lirii more than usual, probably sensing something was up. Even so, she didn’t say anything.

Their next trip was Kashyyyk, and that definitely required some shut-eye. Lirii had lay in her cot for what felt like hours, though her clock told her it had only been fifteen minutes. She was truthfully exhausted but couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes. Scared that the bloody, bruised face of her master would haunt her dreams. That was until the light footfalls from the end of the room passed by her door.

Cal Kestis. What was he doing up? She had to know. It would at least give her something else to think about.

When she found him, he was sitting on the couch, back towards the living quarters so he couldn’t see her coming. Not that she wanted to scare the poor boy.

“Hey Cal.” Lirii began tiredly, taking a seat beside him. Despite her relatively heavy footfalls, he was still a bit sleepy, and jumped at the silence breaking.

“Oh! Hello there. What are you doing up?” Cal replied.

“I should be asking you the same thing. What’s on your mind?” She said, knowing it was a stupid question to ask if he couldn’t sleep. He didn’t reply immediately, running a hand through his hair and keeping it on his neck.

“Just…nightmares, that’s all.”

“Nightmares aren’t really a ‘that’s all’ thing. Not for me. Do you want to talk about it?” Lirii replied.

“No. Sorry, its-”

“I understand, you don’t have to apologize.” Lirii wrung her hands, looking around the cabin, maybe for something to talk about that wouldn’t end with a curt laugh or apology. Eventually, her eye landed on a previously unnoticed tattoo on the Padawan’s forearm.

“Hey, that’s a pretty cool tattoo. What’s it mean?” Unknowingly scooting closer to observe.

“Oh, it’s from the scrapper’s guild. It was a sort of initiation into working on Bracca. What about you? I know some mirialans have cultural tattoos, so what do yours mean?”

Lirii explained what each cluster of geometric tattoos meant. The triangular ones on her cheek were a symbol of facing adversity, the ones on her hands and arms were supposed to keep her grounded. Eventually, after an hour of sharing well-guarded stories, it seemed the Padawan was actually getting sleepy. He wasn’t bored, but more relaxed then when he’d first woken up. Lirii was too, eyelids growing heavier by the minute.

“I almost forgot, I was going to thank you after dinner. For, you know, dealing with me having a breakdown” She rambled, tucking her knees closer to her body.

“You don’t need to thank me. After years alone, I get it, and I’m…” Cal suppressed a yawn, though he was sincere. “Sorry, here if you need to talk.” He was almost passed out, as was Lirii.

The girl leaned against her Padawan friend, both slumped over in the corner. About an hour after she’d fallen asleep, Lirii woke silently, leaning heavily on Cal’s arm. She sighed, getting up from the couch as carefully as she could to avoid waking her crewmate. He never stirred though, but snored gently with his head lolled back. If only she could sleep that soundly.

Lirii made her way back to her room and curled up in a ball of blankets before letting unconsciousness consume her too.

~ ~ ~

When Cere woke up, she found Cal still like that, fast asleep and curled into the curve of the seat. Greez had taken to the front of the ship, preparing for the next jump to Kashyyyk. The ex-Jedi smiled, grabbing a blanket from the top of the sofa and laying it over them.

“He must’ve been tired, eh?” Greez laughed, turning in his seat to look at the kid.

“It hasn’t been a very relaxing few weeks, that’s for sure. I don’t blame him.” Cere replied, hooking up comms and blocking imperial tracking frequencies.

“Hey, did you feel like something was off with Lirii last night? She was really not talkative at all.” Greez whispered, afraid of his words reaching the sleeping mirialan in the back.

“Something’s wrong. She just won’t tell me, and that makes me worried.”

Cal was quick to wake up once everyone else started moving around, except for Lirii who was still shut behind her locked door. Not for long though, she joined the moment the caf machine beeped to life and was there, dressed and ready to go, before Cal could even rub the sleep out of his eyes. Did he dream of that conversation last night? He must’ve, seeing how everyone else didn’t mention anything. _Weird._ He thought, grabbing a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

Lirii was quiet about the night before as she drank her precious cup of caf, settling for looking over the plants growing in the terrarium.

“Hey, Lirii. I was just wondering-”

“Approaching Kashyyyk in two hours!” The captain interrupted from the cockpit.

“Sorry, yeah?” She replied.

“Never mind, I’ll talk to you later.” Lirii gave him a questioning look but shrugged and thought no more of it.

Cal got first dibs on the refresher, with Lirii after. She was tagging along despite Cere’s request for her to stay on board. It was going to end up talking about her meditation, and she would rather cut down Imps than listen to another lecture.

The ship dropped out of hyperspace when everyone was sitting in the front, anxiously making up a plan with the blockade before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how I feel about this chapter tbh. It started out as a rather wholesome one that I really liked, but then by brain went “no, needs angst.” So now we have this. 
> 
> Tell me if the flow feels off or something, because this was written at 2am. 
> 
> Anyway! Thanks for reading


	6. Chapter 6

The massive planetary jungle of Kashyyyk loomed before them, behind four star destroyers. Lirii took a second to steady the racing of her heart, watching as the stinger Mantis slowly approached the cruisers. Of course, they’d done this before, but Bracca’s security was much more lax.

“Whoa. Tell me we’re not running that blockade.” Cal said, looking back at Cere.

“Oh no, only as a last resort. I’ve rigged the Mantis’ transponder to transmit Imperial signals. Hey Greez,” Cere replied. “Keep your power signature low and act like we belong.”

“Just like Bracca. No sweat.” The latero replied.

Lirii watched Cere work out the tangle of frequencies that was the Empire, she’d never be able to slice through all those. The smack of a hand alerted her to the front, where Greez was berating Cal for touching a button. “I don’t need another set of hands! Could you please keep your eye on the scanner.”

“Yeah Cal, just watch the scanners.” Lirii added, trying to diffuse some of the tension that came with sneaking past a whole Imperial blockade. She let out a huff of breath as a laugh, even though it was a bit fake.

The ship eased past the star destroyers and into the thick atmosphere of Kashyyyk. On first glance, it was beautiful. Verdant valleys of winding rivers, tall stone spires and hills full of nothing but trees. Until the smoke stacks revealed themselves from the clouds. More TIEs patrolled the skies than on Zeffo, additional train rails and walkers to transport what they were taking.

“That doesn’t look good.” The Padawan said.

“The Empire’s devouring Kashyyyk for its natural resources. Wookiee’s have been enslaved, or displaced.” Cere added.

The Mantis took a slope into a river valley, heading towards the massive Wroshyr tree at the end. Suddenly, a loud whine filled the air as a TIE interceptor came way too close for comfort. It was only a second that the crew thought it could’ve been an inquisitor, before a clone wars era gunship blew it out of the sky.

“That was way to close!” Greez shouted.

“I thought you were supposed to be watching the monitors, what’s going on?!” The mirialan asked, supporting herself against the doorway to the cockpit.

“Guerrilla fighters! Wookiees and off-worlders, ambushing an Imperial convoy!” Cal shouted back.

“Walkers approaching their position.” Cere informed the crew.

“Tarful could be with them.”

Greez huffed. “Tarful could be _anywhere!_ Like deep the ground like we’re going to be if we get caught up in that battle down there.

“We don’t have any other options! And…they’ll die without our help.”

Lirii couldn’t help but be a tad impressed with Cal’s courage. He was supposed to be a Jedi after all. “What’s your plan?” She was very curious, as AT-ATs were very dangerous.

“Sabotage.” He replied, a bit overconfident.

“ _Sabotage_?” She parroted.

“We used to scrap walkers on Bracca, I’ll just jack one.”

Greez burst out laughing, with a hint of disbelief in his tone.  
“Ha! Get a load of the kid, he thinks we’re back in the Clone Wars!”

  
Cere got up out of her seat to join both the Padawan and their Medic.   
“Captain. Get us near those walkers.” She asked.

“Wait, what!?” He replied.

Despite his doubt, the Mantis lowered closer to the water, still far behind the AT-ATs. In Lirii’s opinion, they were rather creepy, rising out of the water like monsters from a swamp. Creaking and covered in mud and moss.  
Cal, Cere and Lirii all gathered by the door of the ship, where he was preparing to jump.

“Hey, do me a favour? Stay alive down there?”

“I’ll add it to the list!” With a very smug look and a salute, the Padawan jumped through the low clouds into the river below. 

It wasn’t very comforting to the crew to see this little red-headed speck in the midst of all the deep water around him, but they had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

Eventually, after avoiding blasts from both walkers and guerrilla fighters alike, the Mantis found a place to land where they wouldn’t be blown up by Imperial artillery. Cere gazed out the window at the rebels around them before they opened the door.

“Lirii, I’d get your medkit. Some of these people are injured.” She suggested. The mirialan left the ship once the door opened, barely dodging a forced conversation with the leader of this group.

The first group of people she saw were a total of three, two on the ground. A Pantoran and human were both being roughly patched up by their friend, who looked rather clueless and at a loss for medical supplies. Lirii came sliding in on her knees, making note of the amount of blood and how steady it was flowing.

“Hello, I’m Lirii Telvas, I’m here to help. What happened? She asked the only standing human there.

“Gunship crashed. Where’d you come from?”

“That ship, there.” She pointed to the Mantis while prepping some tools to remove shrapnel. It wasn’t super difficult, just tricky with the bent durasteel cable in the Pantoran’s leg.   
These kinds of wounds reminded her of back in the clone wars, when troopers would crash the same types of ships, much more often.

“You’re really quick with that.” The patient commented.

“Got to be, there’s only so much blood someone can lose. You should be okay, just be careful with standing on it.” The Pantoran found someone to lean on so he could get back to wherever their headquarters were. Next was the human who was easy to fix, just a standard imperial blaster bolt to the arm and waist. Bacta patch, linen wrap, done.

She made her way to others, most just standing around. One group was trying to fix up a shot down TIE. Lirii fixed up a sprained wrist that one of them had, but the way it was twisted was strange.

“What were you doing?” She asked.

“Trying to straighten this foil.” He replied, pointing to the warped ‘wing’ of the TIE fighter.

“There’s no way you’ll be able to do that by yourself, that’s hardened durasteel. Unfortunately, it’ll need a brand new one.”

At that, the person’s friend laughed at him, but thanked her for the advice. She said it was no problem, and headed back over to the Mantis. Cal was having a conversation with Cere, Greez, and another man while BD pattered around the partisans.

“Lirii, this is Saw. He’s the leader of this group.” He introduced.

“Good to meet you.” Guerra shook her forearm. “I noticed you patching up some of our siblings in the cause. We could use more medics like you.”

She looked at Cere, who gave a sort of ‘if you want to’ look. “I’ll have to think about it. My crewmate tends to get hurt more than usual. Not a lot of people can fix lightsaber strikes properly.”

Saw nodded. “I understand. You are welcome to join any time.” He left after the introduction, presumably to take down some more Imperial convoys or operations.

“So, Cal. What are you going to do?” Lirii asked, arms crossed.

“Saw said none of them know where Tarful is, which sucks, but they need my help. There’s a wookiee work camp nearby, we’re going to do some jail breaking.” He replied.

“Jail breaking Wookiees? I’d be very careful there. I’d bet the Empire has upped security since this little rebellion began to make problems.”

“I will. Don’t forget, I have my lightsaber, and BD-1.” At this, BD beeped happily, glad to be of help.

Lirii‘s tone was still a bit serious. “Just don’t hurt yourself, I’m running low on supplies as it is.”

“I promise I’ll come back in one piece.”

Cal ran off, BD trailing behind until he hopped up on the padawan’s shoulder.  
Cere went back inside the ship to get some better sleep, and Greez, who didn’t like nature unless it was behind glass, was safely in the kitchen. It seemed these people were rather good at cleaning themselves up, so there was nothing left for a medic to do.

After half an hour of waiting around, the mirialan wandered into one of the remaining gunships. The pilot was taking a lunch break, sitting on top of the clone transport. Lirii walked up and waved to the fellow mirialan.

“Hey! Is this yours?” Lirii asked. The pilot set down his food and hopped onto one of the gun seats.

“Pardon?”

“The ship, is it yours?”

“You could say that, yeah. I bought it from a genosian about two years ago. She was in real rough shape, but I fixed her up and now she flies for this rebellion.” He slapped the transparisteel. After a good look at this girl who came up to him he said: “Do I know you? You look familiar.”

“I don’t think so. The name’s Lirii, how about you?” Lirii replied.

“Raishir. Funny, I had a sister named Lirii, but she had different tattoos. Assume she’s dead now though.”

“Why?” She asked, feigning ignorance.

“Well, she was taken away to go train with the Jedi. And they’re all mostly killed by the Empire; one of the reasons I joined Saw’s cause.” He replied, still with an optimistic lilt to his voice.

Lirii was uncomfortably shifting on her feet, clearing her throat just for a break of silence.

“I’m sorry. I was just going to ask if you guys were going anywhere, haven’t been in a gunship in a long time.”

The pilot’s demeanour turned even more uplifted. “Yes, actually! I need to finish my lunch, but we’re supposed to be disrupting a supply chain to the east. You’re the medic, right? If you have a blaster, you’re welcome to join us.” 

“Really? I need to be back before nightfall, but sure, I’ll come with.”

Rai climbed back onto the top of his ship and slid off the front, his lunch in his hand. If this was her brother, she shouldn’t say anything, probably shouldn’t have said anything in the first place. What happens when the Empire overruns their position here? They surely would. She shook her head to clear those negative thoughts out of her head. Her brother was alive, that was good. Maybe even her sister, too. Not that she could contact _her,_ she was working on Coruscant, at least that’s the last Lirii heard.

“You ready to go?” He called.

“Ready!” Lirii grabbed her medical kit and filed into the open doors of the transport.

After they passed through the smog created by imperial refineries, the vast jungle of Kashyyyk was an amazing sight. Wind whipped into the troop hold, making Lirii feel lucky she wore her hair back. It was like she was back with her troops again, each one ready to tear apart some droids.

Of course, she didn’t have her lightsaber. That nasty piece of metal was locked away in the wooden box in her room.

The small crew she was with were dropped off in the thick of the undergrowth. Only place to land was a clearing made for supply drops, and there were stormtroopers to welcome them. Each were shot dead on the way down. Lirii did her part too, and successfully aimed, shot and killed two troopers before helping to drag them into the thicket.

On her way there, she’d been briefed on their mission. Land, sneak around to the control bunker, blow it up. Easy…for the partisans. They’d done gigs like these for weeks without incident. Lirii had only blown up an Imp facility once, and that was by mistake.

Without warning, two thermal charges were set into her pack. She wasn’t opposed to making the Empire hurt, but she was opposed to getting caught. If this mission didn’t work out and she was arrested…she didn’t want to think about it. From her experience, there were many things worse than execution.

“Come on!” One of the rebels urged, holding a large vine overhead so they could pass. “Just follow us, it’ll turn out fine.” Lirii flashed an unsure smile, but continued through a narrow muddy tunnel until the leaves began to clear. Flashes of gold filtered through the endless green of the canopy, the drone of insects and creatures filled the air. It would have been lovely, if the humidity didn’t make her clothes stick to parts of her skin she didn’t think they could. Uncomfortable? Yes. A hinderance? Never.

The group crouched into the shrubs at the sound of an approaching speeder bike. Two of them, with scout troopers as well. The mirialan picked up a large stone from the ground, to the dismay of her party and threw it past the troops.

“What do you think you’re doing? They won’t fall for that!” One hissed. Lirii peeked over the greenery to see.

“Well, they did. See their armour? It’s shiny. They’re new, easily spooked.” She explained. “I’d suggest we move now.” 

The crew seemed satisfied with her answer, moving as quietly as they could over the flattened clearing. Once they reached the door, though, there was a different problem. Lirii’s master key she stole wouldn’t work, this one needed biometrics; a handprint and a passcode.

As if one wasn’t enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally on Kashyyyk. I will probably devote a couple chapters here, and maybe switch points of view for Cal’s second visit to Zeffo. Because we all know who he meets there, and she’s got a lot of dirt on the other Force-sensitives in his party. 
> 
> As always, thank you all for reading! (Kudos and comments really motivate a writer, so dropping your thoughts would be nice!)


	7. Chapter 7

The group had split into three teams. Blue team, green team and yellow; Lirii was sorted into blue, with Raishir and another Pantoran. Even though he was her brother, she couldn’t say anything for fear of the Empire linking her to him, so she continued in silence.

Blue group turned back into the divot made by an upturned tree, one of them peeled a multi legged bug off her shoulder, face screwed up in disgust as she threw it away.

“Ok. What’s the plan?” Lirii whispered.

“Depends on what you guys feel like doing.” Rai replied. “We can kill or just knock that trooper unconscious.”

“That’s if those biometrics belong to any of those scouts.” The pantoran member of the group added.

It seemed they were at an impasse. Situations like this called for some form of caution, as the Cause had a sneaking suspicion this base held more importance then it showed. For all they knew, there could be Inquisitors on the other side. The thought made Lirii shudder.

The pantoran turned to their wrist communicator, holding a finger up for a minute to hear what the other people were saying. “Yellow team has a plan. They’re sending a smoke bomb in there and then blowing up the speeder bikes. If you guys are okay with it, we’re supposed to go in and attack.”

Lirii and Raishir shared a similar look, a shrug passing over both their shoulders. “I’m up for anything that tears the Empire apart.” She replied, adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins. She hadn’t been on the so called ‘front lines’ of any battle for so long, and almost forgot how good it felt.

Rai nodded in agreement, prepping his blaster rifle for a fight. Lirii already had hers unclipped and ready to go, while the pantoran relayed the blue groups’ decision. The pantoran raised her hand, counting down from five, four, three, two, one. Her hand closed into a fist just as the yellow team’s smoke grenade went off.

“Let’s go!” Raishir shouted, clambering over the embankment with Lirii and the pantoran member of blue team, who called herself Arna. Not that it mattered, they were probably going to die anyway.

Lirii had to stop for a second to think why she would say that in her mind. Strange, maybe she’d talk to Cere about it later, but something was going on with this mission. A disturbance in the force, perhaps, but there was no time to dwell on those types of things. Now was the time where she could take down a squad of stormtroopers without getting singled out, oh how Cere would disapprove of her not wearing a mask.

Those thoughts were sent to the back of her mind as she too climbed over, blaster already firing at any being wearing duraplast armour. One scout trooper took a surprise turn and came at Lirii with an electrobaton instead of a blaster. It took only a split second for her to react, leaning out of the way just in time. Already, she was doing better in this fight then with the Nightbrother on Dathomir and that swell of pride made her more confident with her movements.

Must’ve been a surprise to the trooper when she disappeared into the smoke, only to run back with the butt of her blaster raised high, running faster than anyone should’ve been able to. It would’ve been so satisfying to see the trooper’s face, but she had to settle for the crack the blaster made against his helmet.

A loud explosion went off way too close as someone blew up a speeder bike, just far enough to not send Lirii flying, but close enough to set a loud ringing in her ears. Someone from green team came by to check if she was okay after being stunned, saying the troopers were all taken out. 

“I’m good, a little banged up, but good.” She replied, checking for bruises and cuts caused by shrapnel or the ground. The human who helped her ran off to their group, who were merging with the rest to search for an entrance to the bunker. Raishir jogged over to Lirii, pulling off the glove of a commander and trying to drag his body to the door. 

“Did you see that stunt I pulled with the bike?” He asked, helping to pull the dead weight. Lirii looked up, a little confused.

“Huh? Oh, yeah it was impressive!” She lied, as she had not, in fact seen the ‘stunt’ he pulled.

“Thanks.” 

Lirii set the scout trooper’s helmet on the ground for someone else to find while awkwardly holding his eye open to scan. Rai picked up the fallen piece of armour, turning it over to examine the large dent in the duraplast.

“What happened here? It looks like someone caved his head in!” He held it up for his fellow mirialan to see.

“Oh, that was me. I uh, hit him with the end of my blaster. Really hard, actually.” 

“How?! That’s insane.” He replied, placing the helmet over his head. “I cannot see.” He did have it on backwards, so that explained the blindness.

“I don’t know. Guess I’m just strong, with some equally strong hatred for the Empire. Annnd, this guy is not working for this door.” Lirii dropped the body with a huff, wiping excess mud on her pants.

“Whew. Has anyone tried any other troopers?!” She called out to the crowd. A loud, grudging “yes!” came back as the rest of the Partisans dragged around bodies, white armour gleaming in the sun spots. From their tone, she guessed no one had been successful.

For a while, the soldiers’ comlinks were silent. Most of their little cell were taking a break, laying in the sun and eating lunch. Lirii paced around the doors, checking for any secret locks, passages, really anything that would get them in. Nothing. The place was locked up tight.

That was until Lirii had an idea, sparked by noticing the crew number on a trooper and the number painted on the base. She briefed the one in charge of this little operation, who was all for it. Seemed these people would do anything to get a jab in on the Empire. Lirii handed the com link to Rai, who would sound more like a trooper with the helmet on correctly.

“So what am I doing again?” Raishir asked, the Partisans gathered in a semicircle around him.

Lirii finished writing something down, handing the piece of flexi to him to read. “Just read this, try to sound professional.”   
Someone from the group groaned, mentioning something about how this plan would never work. “Didn’t you just show up?” He said.

“Yes, but she’s with the Jedi.” A person beside him mentioned.

“I also know most Imp bunkers inside and out, they all follow a similar plan.” Lirii turned to the humans having a conversation in the middle of her operation. “So if we could keep quiet, we can get this done. Alright? Thank you.”   
The human let out an exasperated sigh but stopped talking.

“Okay, calling…now.” Raishir’s voice was muffled and distorted by the helmet as he spoke, vision hopefully a lot more clear than when he had it on backwards. “This is TB-773 requesting access to bunker 3C, over.” Everyone waited while the low crackle of static filled the space between words. A few seconds passed with no answer, he tried again. “This is TB-773 requesting access to bunker 3C, over.”

  
Nothing.

  
The crew was about to formulate a different plan, when a burst of static replied from the com link. “TB-773, why do you require access to this bunker?” A haughty officer replied.

“There’s been an insurgent attack, multiple casualties. They’ve run off into the trees, but I think they’re just gathering reinforcements “

A pause filled the air as the officer hesitated. It seemed like, for a moment, nothing would happen. Lirii instinctively looked to the tree line, watching for any giant slug, spider or hostile plant. Of course, there were still Imps to worry about, but currently she couldn’t hear anything and felt rather confined under the canopy.

“Alright. We shall open the doors promptly for you to submit a formal report. Officer Lance, disconnecting.” The officer’s comlink shut off with a crackle.

“Do you think he bought it?” Rai asked, taking the dented helmet off.

“We’ll have to wait and see. Positions, everyone!” Arna the pantoran called. The partisans all stood up at once, blaster rifles at the ready to fire as they made the same semicircle around the main entrance. Someone had leaned a couple troopers against the blast doors so the people inside would be surprised, not only by the bodies, but also by a large-ish barrage of blaster fire.

A good thing, too. Four troopers and two officers, high rank by the black uniforms, walked into the wall of dead scouts. The rebels dispelled the only Imperials alive and continued into the bunker. Lirii stayed with the rest of the group, admittedly a little afraid to wander off by herself. She would imagine Cere, Cal, and Greez wouldn’t be very happy if she got captured.

The footsteps of the partisans echoed through the dark durasteel hallways, the overly sanitary atmosphere was putting everyone on edge.

The room they were looking for was at the end of a long hallway, stormtroopers patrolling the shiny floors were taken out by the front runners of the group. Finally, the control room was breached, officers inside shot and dragged away to the corners of the round chamber. Lirii holstered her blaster to look over some data pads left out, as well as using some of Cere’s stolen codes to get into the main system.

Another human, someone who was just curious she presumed, peeked over her shoulder to look at the same thing she was.

“Are those – ow!” Lirii had, in her fright, elbowed the rebel in the sternum. She didn’t mean to, it was just a reflex when someone creeped up behind her, only worsened by their current surroundings.

“I am so sorry!” Lirii whisper-yelled. The human who snuck up on her clutched their chest, but said that no, it was their fault. They should’ve known people would be on edge. “I was just looking over some transport records.” The mirialan replied. Her response certainly wasn’t wrong, though it only told what was going on on the surface. Troop movements, sap, mineral and prisoner export. There were also more important details, like kyber mining on Ilum and Jedah for a project she no longer had clearance for.

She had decided this was very important to look over later and downloaded it into her datapad, she just wished it would hurry up. Finally, the info downloaded and the group was able to set the explosives.

Lirii put her two thermal charges under a comms table, assuming someone had the detonator. She didn’t really know, as no one told her.

The partisans left just in time, as the Imps realized something was wrong and sent a walker. Good thing Rai was a good pilot, they nearly missed the transport that brought it, and a whole squadron to the site. An explosion rocked the nearby forest as someone pressed the detonator, and Lirii smiled as she knew two purge troopers were with the squad. The mirialan yelled an overjoyed “woo!” into the trees, knowing it would disappear amongst the drone of thousands of insects and creatures, but she didn’t care. It felt so wondrous to get back at the Empire.

Perhaps she would put more thought into Saw’s offer…but what about Cal or Cere? He’d definitely need someone to patch him up, and he did seem like a very nice guy, albeit very hurt. Lirii had to think about it more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This thing now keeps happening, where I plan out a plot for my chapters, then they get stretched out. Bear with me, next chapter (I hope) will start to get into more of the Cal/Lirii stuff. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys still enjoyed this chapter! Let me know in the comments, and leave a kudos if you want. Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

The sun set over the refinery by the time the crew returned. Just like years ago in the clone wars, the gunship only hovered above the ground to let everyone out, before flying off to wherever they stored it. During the Wars, that place would be a hangar, but now it was whatever open space the pilot could find. That wasn’t occupied by Imperials, of course. Lirii, in her good mood, jumped off the transport with a renewed spring in her step. Turns out she didn’t really need her medkit for that adventure, she just hoped Cal didn’t get into too much trouble while she was out.

\- - -

“He’s not back? Then where _is_ that Padawan?” The mirialan’s voice cracked as she dispelled a worried accent halfway through speaking.

Cere put her hands on her hips. “He said he’ll be in within the hour. That was an hour and a half ago, but you know how he is.” Lirii’s eyes widened at the time he’d been out, her arms crossed over her chest. “BD-1 and he must’ve just gotten a little…sidetracked. This jungle is very interesting to him.”

Greez had retired to his safe space, also known as the kitchenette. Cere’s assurances didn’t stop Lirii from checking every scanner and Imperial frequency they had. Of course, she could hardly decode most of them, but it didn’t matter. “That idiotic Padawan is going to get himself killed out there. This just ruins my good mood, and I was even going to go hang out with the rebels.”

“Lirii.” The ex-Jedi of the group tried to interrupt.

“I guess I could try his comm frequency. If he’s not captured or eaten by a wyyschokk.”

“Lirii!” Cere urged.

“What?! Oh.” The girl looked up from her comlink to the red-headed Padawan in question, who waved weakly and was just a little covered in blood.

“Worried about me?” Cal asked smugly, letting BD jump off his arm to the ground.

“No, about your droid.” Lirii joked with a sigh. “I was just wondering where you were, because it’s getting dark and there are a lot of troopers around.”

Cal flashed a smile before wincing in pain, clutching his shoulder. The medic snapped out of her awkward backpedal and ran over to her injured crewmate. Both Cere and Greez looked very concerned at Cal’s current condition, but knew that their personal field medic needed space if they wanted to keep their lost Padawan. She gently moved him into her room, as if there was blood she would rather it on her floor than his. There, she could clean it up better without being a nuisance.

“How many times am I going to have to patch you up, Kestis?” Lirii asked, slightly exasperated.

Cal sat on her bed for the second time, trying to avoid sullying it with dried blood. Most of it wasn’t his. Most of it. “I don’t know. However many times I get hurt, hopefully. You are good at what you do.”

The medic smiled. “Thank you, Cal. It means a lot. Anyways, shirt needs to come off so I can get a look at this shoulder.” She gestured with a bottle of disinfectant in one hand, and a cloth in the other. At the damage, she nearly gasped. A very large and ugly bruise had bloomed across the padawan’s left shoulder blade, and another on his right, though further down. Paired with the numerous scratches and the minor burns, it didn’t look that good.

“Oh, dear. What happened? This is going to sting a bit by the way.” Lirii poured some of the disinfectant onto the fabric she was holding, being very careful as to not open up any wounds.

Cal cringed as she tried her hardest to get out dirt and dried blood from the cuts and burns. “Ow! Uh, a purge trooper did most of the damage. Then, there were some security droids that I didn’t dodge fast enough. What’s your verdict?”

“My verdict?” Lirii set the cloth in a bowl of warm water to wash off. “You’ve bruised the left shoulder blade. Lucky, though, any more hits there and it could’ve broken. Those ribs will need some more bacta, but it’s no worse than Bracca.” Cal didn’t reply, but had turned his head to watch what she was doing. “I can always amputate it, but that wouldn’t be very fun.” She finished applying bacta patches to where they were needed, double checking on the aforementioned wounds from Bracca. They were healing up pretty well, considering she hadn’t had practice in over a year. Still, the saber strike would leave a scar, but it wasn’t like Cal wasn’t used to them. There were many white lines criss-crossing the padawan’s freckled shoulders, some small and insignificant, while others looked as if they were the result of a nasty fight. Not with a lightsaber, no, these were too rough for that. Lirii stopped herself from overthinking about those freckles and scars by standing up and handing back Cal’s shirt.

“If you have anything else that needs fixing, just give me a shout please. I don’t want to miss you without your shirt again.” Lirii spoke with an amused voice, taking joy in the red flush the Padawan was trying to hide. BD-1 soon interrupted, jumping through the doorway with a slightly annoyed set of beeps and chirps. Cal picked up his small droid, saying he was okay.

“Trill bwoop beep.” BD replied. The mirialan chuckled, as she knew he had said something along the lines of ‘you don’t look it.”

“Come on, dinner will be ready soon.” She helped the poor crewmate up, who was looking very flustered. “Cal, calm down. I’m joking.” Lirii continued, leading the way back into the kitchen.

As it happened, Greez had already made supper and, according to Cere, “not bothered to tell the kids because he didn’t know what they were doing.” Even though Cere had told him multiple times that Lirii was just tending to his injuries from the past day, he was having none of it. The latero had left a plate of Scazz for each of the other crew members, before venturing out to help the rebels cook. 

Like they needed it.

While Cere and Cal started up a conversation, which at least helped the Padawan wipe that red off his face, Lirii had wanted to go for a walk by herself in the cool night air of Kashyyyk, maybe even get some scouting in. She yelled out what she was doing, though was unsure if anyone heard. _Eh_ , she thought, _I’ll be quick._

Quick, she most definitely was. Lirii had walked to the border of their refinery, and past it about 100 yards into the thick tree line. Thankfully, a large trail was left by the Wookiees who called this place home. She hoped it was Wookiees anyway. For a while, it was nice, with the vines and bioluminescent plants hanging down around her. Then, the bugs. What started as a low drone became a deafening screech as a cloud of biting insects surrounded her, covering her eyes and nose. She made sure to keep her mouth shut too, as she barrelled back through the “nice” trail.

Both force sensitives stared at the mirialan as she slammed the button to shut the door, panting and desperately trying to get bugs out of her hair.

“I take it your walk didn’t go so well.” Cere remarked. Lirii huffed, scratching her arms through the fabric, which only made them more uncomfortable.

“You think?” Was all she could say, still catching her breath. “It’s nasty out there, I’m going to hit the fresher.”

“Are you not going to eat?” Cal asked, a forkful of food almost reaching his mouth.

“Not right away. I might make something later, but the whole bugs thing made me a bit…eugh. Y’know?” Lirii replied, slipping away to wash off the dirt and grime from her misadventure.

When she made her way to her room, she noticed that someone had left a pile of laundry on her bed to fold and put away. Most of it she did fold, but had made the choice to retire for the rest of the night and change into some nightclothes. There was no need for anything protective or layered, as she was spending the night in the Mantis. She had found a large-ish t-shirt in her pile and decided to wear that, although she couldn’t for the life of her remember where she got it. 

_Oh well_ , Lirii thought, _it’s comfortable_. She tucked it into some of her standard issue sweatpants and went to see what Cal was up to.

He ended up being in the cockpit with his feet on the so called ‘dash’. Lirii picked BD up out of the Captain’s chair only for an indignant trill in response as he scurried off to his adventuring companion. 

“He thinks you’re mean.” Cal said, a playful tone in his voice. 

“Aw, I’m sorry. I don’t get to sit in the Captain’s chair often, since Greez normally kicks me out.” She was right about that, but the Latero wasn’t there now. Cere had apparently holed herself up in her room to meditate, and she could be in there for hours. 

Lirii noticed the padawan staring, and gave a questioning look in response.

“Why’re you wearing my shirt?” Cal’s question took the mirialan off-guard. 

“What?” She replied.

“That’s my old rigging shirt, it says it on the back.” He chuckled lightly. 

“Oh, it was in my laundry pile, I thought it was mine. I can go change if-“ 

“No, no. If you found it in yours, you can keep it. I’ve got a bunch of others. Besides, it does look good on you.” Cal said, pushing through the shaking of his voice.

Lirii turned slightly away. “Oh Cal, stop. You’ll make me blush!” She couldn’t help the slight darkening of her cheeks, despite her joking phrase. Neither could the Padawan, it seemed, as he laughed awkwardly, face going darker with every passing awkward second. This little harmless game they recently started playing was rather fun, at least for Lirii. She only hoped Cal wasn’t too uncomfortable. 

A few minutes passed with a heavy silence, until Greez opened the door, and scared the daylights out of both of them. He gave them a suspicious glare for a good five seconds, that made both of the kids up front feel very uncomfortable.

“What are you two doing?” He said, still dubious about their activities, although nothing was happening.

“Just talking, Greez. Why are you like this?” Lirii replied.

“Because I don’t want anything fishy happening in my ship. Especially not where I sit.”

“Oh my Force! Why do you think that?”

Greez threw two of his arms in the air in defence. “I’m just sayin’, that’s all!”

Lirii sighed, looking out into the now pitch-black trees that occasionally sparkled with fire beetles and flies. She left Cal in the chair, although he switched seats to the couch soon after, to ask Cere what they were doing tomorrow.  
  


The ex-Jedi’s room was rather plain, with the same metal walls as the rest of the ship, a simple white carpet on the floor, and some sparse plants that Lirii had gotten her. Cere herself was sitting in the middle of the carpet, still meditating. The mirialan gently knocked on the wall beside the door to announce her entry, but it seemed Cere already knew she was there.

“Lirii, come in. Is there something bothering you?” The older woman got up from her seat.

“No, not today. I was just wondering what we’re doing next.” Lirii replied.

“Well, we were supposed to do a supply run before we even picked Cal up, and now the stores are low. There’s no choice, we have to do another one.” The girl opened her mouth to speak. “This is non-negotiable. The only thing you have a say in is what planet we go to.”

Lirii had to think about that…there were only so many relatively safe planets left to go to. Most, if not all, were under Imperial control, but there were those safer than others. Tatooine, Takodana, Garel, or Lothal were the ones she thought of first. Yes, all of them were occupied by Imps, but so far, no important officials visited, no Jedi spotted and no Inquisitor presence. Maybe not Garel though, as more and more people visited every rotation, and that’s all the more eyes to catch some wanted criminals. Takodana would’ve been a great place to do a supply run, as no Imperial presence had been there for a while. It was, however, a popular hangout site for bounty hunters of all types. So no.

That left Tatooine and Lothal. As far as Greez was concerned, Tatooine was just a giant dust bowl, and that dust would get inside his ship. Lirii didn’t love the heat, either, and the crew didn’t need some krayt dragon or womp rat attacking them. Lothal it had to be, then.

“Lothal seems like the best place to go. At least, in my opinion.”

“It isn’t a bad spot, but isn’t there an imperial academy there?” Cere asked.

“Yes, but it’s in it’s own wing. As long as we stay out of that area, we should be fine.” Lirii reasoned, yawning at the end of her sentence. The ex-Jedi nodded, arms crossed.

“Alright, Lothal it is. I’ll tell the Captain, and…” Cere waited until her younger crewmate was finished yawning. “You might want to get some sleep.”

Lirii nodded. Perhaps she’d actually sleep properly tonight, after a long day of being in the jungle and blowing up Imperials, which she conveniently forgot to tell everyone else about. _I’ll do it in the morning_ , she thought. 

With that thought out of the way, and their heading decided, the mirialan finally went to bed. She only hoped it would be dreamless.

In reality, there was a dream that plagued her sleep, but it was different than the one she was used to. Like her vision on Bogano, the atmosphere felt different, heavy and cloying; as if she were walking through water with no way of swimming. The room surrounding her was a large cavern of grey slate stone, moss growing out of every crack in the rock, and floating candles dotting the ceilings. Like the nightmares previous, the presence of someone dark was all around, but this time not chasing. Just watching. As she walked forward through the sloping paths, she could see the silhouette of this figure, caped and lightly armoured.

This was an Inquisitor, more specifically the Second Sister, who was hunting them even as they slept.  
A pit of fear sunk into Lirii’s stomach, and grew heavier as the shadow spoke, flitting in and out of view as if she were a ghost.

_“You’ve picked just the right group of traitors, haven’t you?”_ The Inquisitor’s predatory voice echoed through the cave, slightly modulated by the helmet she wore. Lirii’s instinct was to run, but she continued walking unbidden.

“Leave us alone.” She replied, disappointed in the fear damaging her tone.

Laughter, cruel and cold echoed in reply as the silhouette appeared a few feet from her. _“Us? You think you’re not alone? You will be, when they turn against you, like your master did.”_

“She didn’t! And they won’t!” Lirii yelled.

_“Pity you’ll have to strike them down.”_

A lightsaber appeared in her hand as the shadow of the Second Sister began running towards her, two blades of her own ignited. Just before she brought the blood-red saber down on Lirii’s head, she turned into Cal. Luckily, this was Lirii’s dream, and she could learn to take control of it. She sidestepped just in time for the shadow-Cal to pass through the floor, harmless as the wind. The mirialan thought it was over, and was pleased with herself standing up to her nightmares, until the purr of the Second Sister reminded her.

“If you don’t…I will.” Suddenly, she was there, corporeal and menacing. Lirii, in her panic, scrambled away, waking herself up in the process.

\- - -

Cere, worried, opened the door to see what happened. Their medic had created quite the ruckus, falling off her bed and hitting her desk. The box with her lightsaber in it had gone flying, and the saber rolled out of it’s case to make it’s way to her feet.

“What happened?” The ex-Jedi asked, picking her up off the floor.

“Nightmare, again. Where’s Cal?”

“He’s there,” Cere pointer to the doorway, where their Padawan and his droid were looking concerned. “Why, what do you need?”

Lirii turned to her saber, picking it up with a little hesitation. “Training, that’s what we need. Go get your weapon please.”

Both Cere and Cal looked a tad confused, but Kestis went back to his room to gather the old lightsaber from his own desk.“Where to?” He asked.

“I’ll meet you outside, just have to talk with Cere.”

Cal nodded, heading out with BD-1 to sit on the ship’s ramp.

“What did you see in your nightmare?” Cere asked once the Padawan had left.

“The Second Sister. She followed me through this open cave and taunted me with killing you all. She said if I didn’t, she would. Now, I’m certainly not going to let that happen, and as far as I’ve seen, Cal can handle himself with troopers, but not her. Definitely not her, so I need to help him out.” Lirii replied.

“You know she’ll just try to get in your head, and this is one way she’ll do it. Only you control your thoughts and actions now, remember that.” Cere warned. “Don’t let her get to you.”

“I won’t.”

The mirialan headed out into the breaking dawn, meeting Cal and bringing him to the other side of the Mantis, where a small arena of sorts had been accidentally set up with boxes. Lirii cracked her knuckles and wrapped one hand around her saber, letting her fingers set in the small divots left after years of use.

“Ready?” She asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more serious Cal and Lirii stuff. In this house we love and support awkward idiots. I just want to thank you all for reading, but for bookmarking, leaving kudos and especially comments. It means everything when I see what you guys think!
> 
> So thank you!  
> (Also, new clean layout of the text)


	9. Chapter 9

The Padawan unclipped his own saber from his belt, BD hopping on one of the boxes to play audience. “You never really explained what we’re doing.” Cal said, sinking into a defensive stance.

“I had a feeling you needed some more training. Against the Second Sister, those hack and slash blows aren’t going to be the most effective. I need to reconnect with my weapon as well. Maybe then I can meditate properly.”

“Okay. So what form do you use?”

“My master trained me in Ataru and Soresu, but the more defensive aspects weren’t for me, so I focused on Ataru. How about you?” Lirii paced casually as they talked, assessing weak points in Cal’s stance as if she were a teacher. That couldn’t be further from the truth, but at least she could help.

“Well, I know the first one. Shii-cho? Was it?” Lirii nodded. “And a bit of form five, but I’ve just been doing my own thing mostly.”

“Alright then. The second sister uses Ataru, Juyo and Makashi, forms six, seven and two if you don’t remember their proper names. I’m not that surprised at your use of form five, as your master was a lasat, correct?” The mirialan returned to her starting position, now aware of every weak point in Cal’s guard.

“Yes.” It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it, so she didn’t press the question.

“Then let’s get to sparring. You are going to try and knock me down, if you accidentally strike me, that’s fine. I can take it, trust me.” Lirii replied, adjusting her feet to be ready for an attack.

Cal nodded, igniting the saber at his side. His opponent ignited her own, glowing green.

His first move was anticipated well before they began sparring: a lunge forward meant to catch her off-guard. It didn’t. She sidestepped the attack, years of training slowly being remembered with each parry. Cal was persistent, she’d give him that, but that was nothing against the Second Sister. Lirii took a few very swift strikes, making sure he could block them without her saber catching flesh, before pushing him away into the dust. “You’ll have to be quicker than that, Cal. She’ll stop, but only to gather strength. Don’t let her.” The Padawan panted, catching some of his breath from the push. “The Second Sister likes to play with her prey. She’ll taunt you, try to get in your mind.” Lirii was interrupted by Cal’s sudden burst of energy, as he jumped forward, shattering her guard. She couldn’t afford letting him win, as neither would an inquisitor. Instead, when he attempted a kick, she grabbed his leg and flipped him back into the ground, her saber now lighting up his startled face green.

“Not bad, Padawan. That’s good for now.” She offered him her hand, turning off her lightsaber. This time it was her who was startled, when he grabbed her arm and sent her back into the ground, pinning both her chest and hand down so she could barely move. “Oh. That was unexpected, but well done!” Cal lifted her off the ground, clipping his own lightsaber to his belt.

“Sorry.” He apologized, dusting off his hands on his pants.

“No, no. Do not apologize, that was really well done.” Lirii assured. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” 

“I’m okay, just a bit sore now. How do you think I’ll do against that inquisitor?

“Let’s hope she never catches up to us, but if she does, you should at least stand a chance.” 

Cal chuckled, proud of his ability in battle.

“Come on, we’re leaving soon. I have to go talk to someone, tell Cere I’ll be back shortly!” Lirii hid her lightsaber in one of her cargo pockets, setting off at a jog to a nearby gunship. Cal shot a slightly confused glance, but shrugged and headed back to the Mantis with BD. The mirialan met up with Raishir as he got off his ship. She knew she couldn’t say anything about their shared family, in case he was captured, so she settled for saying goodbye.

“Rai! Hi!” Lirii called.

“Hey, Lirii! Coming on another operation with us today?” Raishir replied.

“Unfortunately, no. We’ve got to head out and grab some supplies before heading to Zeffo. I’ll be sure to come back and help out, though!”

“That’s too bad, you and your Jedi friend are quite the help around here. He freed most of those Wookiees all by himself, real wonder with that lightsaber.” Rai commented, looking to the Padawan on the ramp of their ship.

“Yeah…” Lirii replied, also watching Cal chase around his droid. “Anyway, we have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” She hesitantly pulled him into an uncomfortable hug. “May the Force be with you!

“And also with you?” He replied, a bit confused as Lirii ran back to the Mantis, meeting Cal at the entrance and heading inside.

Greez pulled the Mantis out of Kashyyyk’s dense atmosphere, with Cere, Cal, Lirii and BD-1 sitting on the couch, all listening to Lirii explain all the good places to eat on Lothal. One noodle bar she kept going on about sounded really good to the other crew members. That, and she was talking about taking some Imperial transports of fruit, which Cere disapproved of because it involved stealing.

“Those rebels are making you too overconfident, Lirii. Remember we have to lay-low, please.” She reminded her.

“Yes, Cere, I know. I was just trying to figure out where we wanted to eat, because if we’re heading to Lothal we need to get some of those noodles.” Lirii replied.

“When did you visit Lothal?” Cal questioned, taking off his poncho and crumpling it on the couch.

“A few years ago, with some of my friends.” She replied, leaning back into the soft fabric. “Have any of you ever been?” Cere had, Greez hadn’t, and neither had Cal. The mirialan found that strange that a captain with such a “reputation” as Greez Dritus hadn’t been to Lothal, but Cal she could understand. Their captain walked back to where Cal had gathered and planted some seeds from Bogano, fussing over trimming them down. 

Cal promptly fell asleep on the couch once the ship accelerated into hyperspace, obviously tired from their jungle trek. The mirialan medic was the only one up, except for Greez, but he was nearly asleep in his pilot’s chair. She took it upon herself to do a sweep of the ship, noting down anything they would need to buy at the markets on their destination. In her stock she was missing bacta patches, gauze, painkillers and some tea, if they had the ones she liked. Cal needed new clothes that didn’t scream “I’m a scrapper from Bracca!”, but she wasn’t sure if the crew had time to try things on. No, stupid idea, focus on the important stuff.

Lirii wasn’t sure what Cere needed, except for some more credits to pay for all this. Greez had only given her a whole long list of foodstuffs and spices that wouldn’t be easily found on this planet. For now, that was it. Until their Captain woke up and thought of something else, that was.

After an hour of travel, Greez grabbed some old caf from the dining table and told the crew to get up. Lirii grabbed some wraps to cover any tattoos on her arms, because defining features only help the Empire’s recognition software in finding who you are. As she wrapped up her hands, Cal noticed some nasty scars that were quickly hidden beneath the fabric. Some were rough, that should’ve been stitched up but weren’t, and some looked like she was stabbed with a small metal pole or a very large needle. He made a mental note to ask her about them later, but said nothing. He did wonder for a second though, what could’ve caused those? Did she have more than him? Cal pushed those thoughts out of his head and asked if there was any caf left.

“No, you’ll have to make some.” Greez replied, holding the last of the precious drink. Lirii snapped her fingers as if she just had an idea.

“That’s it! Caf is what we need! Thank you for reminding me.” She wrote down the beverage so fought over in the Mantis. “Right. Now we need to go to the foods district downtown if you guys want to get something to eat. Like those noodles, which we should really get. Then, the main market to get the stuff for our stock, and I need to find somewhere to get medical supplies. That’s three districts, three hours tops if nothing bad happens.” 

“If nothing happens?” Cal asked “I thought you said there weren’t any Imperials here?”

“That isn’t what I said. I said there was a _low_ Imperial presence.” Lirii corrected, climbing into her chair to prepare for landing. 

The Mantis made their descent past the gold and white cloud cover of Lothal, transmitting a new Imperial code that Cere had stolen. It got them private docking and an escort, which they denied for fear of recognition. Greez wasn’t familiar with this planet or the nasty things that could be hiding in its tall grass, so he remained on the ship. Cere said she would come along because she was the one with most of the credits, and could keep an eye out. Before they could leave, Cal was spotted arguing with his droid.

“No, I know you want to come but you can’t! Any scanners will pick you up, buddy.”

“Trill! BEEEP!” BD-1 replied, hanging onto Cal’s shoulder like his power supply depended on it.

“Cal’s right, little guy. Hey, I’ll bring you back something cool to scan, alright?” The little droid climbed from his adventuring companion’s shoulder, onto Lirii’s with a miffed chirp. He was not staying on the ship. Lirii sighed. “I suppose if you’re seen with me they wouldn’t think anything of it, just don’t go scampering around, okay?”

“Boop.” BD replied, settling on a scarf that was wrapped around the mirialan’s neck.

“Stealing my droid now? Shame on you.” Cal whispered once they left the Mantis. Lirii replied with a jab at his un-injured shoulder.

“I’m sorry, it just seems he likes me more. You wanted to leave him all alone with Greez on the ship!” The droid piped up his response, which was a bwoop of approval. “See?” 

Both force-sensitives laughed as they exited their hangar and into the downtown area. It wasn’t that busy, and Cere had told them she might go off on her own to pick up some more ammo for their blasters, plus a new power cell. She made her exit down a side alley when Cal, Lirii and BD-1 reached the farmer’s market.

The market was more busy than downtown, which was surprising. People from many different planets were wandering the stalls selling meat, fruit and vegetables. The first place they stopped was a vendor selling Caf beans straight from Endor, but they only had one box left. Unfortunately there was a stormtrooper looking at it, and Lirii had the quick thinking to grab it off the counter, as he was about to load it into a cart.

“I’ll take this one.” She said, glancing at the inexpressive helmet of the trooper. Though the mirialan could tell that he wasn’t pleased, as he made a loud huff before returning to his speeder.

“Do they do that a lot?” Lirii asked the tw’ilek shopkeep, watching the bike zip through an alley.

“Too much, I’m afraid. They think they can take whatever they want because they’re the Empire.” The store owner sighed. Lirii knee she or Cal couldn’t do anything about it now, they had inquisitors on their trail and the last thing they wanted to do was lead them here. Instead, the medic handed over a few extra credits with a thin smile.

“Why’d you give her that money?” Cal asked as they walked to the next stall.

“Because it feels good to help people, Cal, that’s all. I know we can’t help her deal with stormtroopers, but I can give her some more money to pay for the caf they stole. Shipping that stuff from Endor’s expensive.”

The Padawan nodded, keeping an eye on the other troopers in the area. Eventually, they had every foodstuff they needed, except for some spices that Greez wanted, which weren’t anywhere to be found. Cere pinged Lirii’s comlink, saying she thinks she found somewhere that the medic could restock.

“Cere’s called us. Do you need some help carrying that?” Lirii was referring to the melon slowly slipping out of Cal’s elbow.

“Yes, please.” He replied.

Lirii pulled an extra cloth bag out of her other bags, pulling the large fruit into it and hiking it over her back, being careful not to hit BD. He was smart though, and moved onto her head until she was done.

“I _can_ carry it though.”

“I don’t doubt your strength, I’m sure you could pick me up and throw me, but your shoulder is hurt and there’s no need to strain it.” Lirii replied, continuing their walk to Cere’s location. Cal agreed, and was grateful for her offer, as his arms were getting tired and sore. Maybe he’d get her to have another look…no! He shook his head to dispel the thoughts, knowing they probably wouldn’t lead anywhere good.

“Cal! Come on, daydreamer, we can’t waste time!” She looped her arm through his until he picked up a quicker walking pace, when she let it go. “You ok?”

“Hm? Yeah, I’m good.” He ran a hand through his fiery hair, flashing a dismissive smile.

“ _Sure._ ” Lirii replied, turning the corner to meet Cere, who looked cold wrapped up in a jacket and scarf. “Hey! What’s you find?” The older Jedi handed a package to her younger crewmate, large and wrapped in dark cloth. “This isn’t from a drug store.” The mirialan’s tone lowered as she began to unwrap the parcel.

The ex-Jedi grabbed her hand to stop her, probably signalling that what was inside wasn’t very legal by the Empire’s standards. “Don’t open it here, get it back to the ship. I’ll trail behind to make sure we weren’t followed.”

“Why are you so paranoid, Cere?” Cal asked. “There’s barely been a stormtrooper in the past block.”

As if on cue, a dozen troopers with officers to boot, ran down the street towards the imperial academy. Lirii shot an accusatory look at her stand-in mentor. She did tell her not to steal from the Empire, and now Cere had done that exact thing. It didn’t matter, what did was that they got out of there before someone recognized them, and that was growing more difficult by the minute. 

“Go, now!” Cere commanded in a hushed yell, pushing the two kids further down the alley so she could stay behind and watch.

“Will she be alright?” Cal asked as he and Lirii took off at a fast walk.

“Yeah,” Lirii huffed, struggling to hold their groceries, “she’s done this before. No sweat.”

Eventually, the docking bay where the Mantis stood came into view under the towers of downtown. BD hopped happily back onto Cal’s back when he realized they were safe from the prying eyes of the Empire.

Greez wondered why they were back early, and why they didn’t bring him back any food.

“Well, we did.” Lirii plopped down their gatherings for today onto the kitchen table. “So don’t be ungrateful.” She unwrapped her arms and removed the scarf that adorned her neck, as the ship was toasty, compared to outside anyway.

“Where’s Cere?” The Captain asked as Lirii began loading food into the fridge, shooing Cal away when he tried to help.

“She stole me a box of what I assume are medical stuff. Which is specifically what she told me not to do.” The mirialan has to stop for a second and take a breath, cooling her heated voice. “Sorry, I’d rather risk my life than have her risk hers.”

The ship was filled with a brief silence before Cere returned, slightly out of breath but not hurt. Lirii put the rest of their hoard in storage on the lower decks, grabbing a piece of meiloorun fruit for each crew member on her way back through the kitchen.

The box of stolen supplies still sat on the table where she left it, Cere and Cal ignoring it as they chatted about avoiding the Empire. BD-1 however, was bored, and so was interested in anything that came across his scanners. He hopped around the metal case, poking at the thick grey and red fabric it was wrapped in. Lirii still felt ruffled, despite Cere’s safe return, though she’d become good at hiding it over the years. Even from Jedi.

“Curious, little buddy? Me too. Let’s have a look.” She said, folding open the cloth around the secure metal box. It was made of what looked to be polished white durasteel, with the insignia of the Empire stamped red onto the front.

“All the fuss for this thing?” By this time, Cere and Cal had stopped their conversation to watch Lirii open this strange present. The ex-Jedi didn’t say anything, but gestured for her to open it. She took the time to practice with using the force again, and successfully disabled the magnetic locks on the package, allowing to open it and stare in awe at the contents. Tissue regenerators, a microsuture kit, bone stabilizers, and many other things that would be rare for their little operation. There was another surprise, however, hidden beneath the fake floor of the box. It only took a slight glance at the tools beneath to make the mirialan slam back the covering.

“Well, this is a very nice gift, thank you Cere.” Lirii said curtly, packing up the medkit to put away with her other stockpile. It took her a couple minutes to gather the courage to pick up the instruments beneath. A very large set of needles containing a special mixture of poison that made someone very susceptible to persuasion. This stuff could make the most unmoving person think they were being eaten alive, even if they were sitting in comfort, although they usually weren’t. Lirii shivered, heartbeat beginning to accelerate until she replaced the pack of poison. It was then that she decided she needed something to distract herself.

When Lirii returned, she brought with her the trimmings for her own version of scazz steaks. Sliced thin, breaded and fried. When she was younger, way younger on Mirial, it was a comfort food her dad made often. Those memories were hard to access nowadays, and even harder to see details of. She was grateful, though, that she could remember some recipes. Greez scoffed and crossed his arms when she kicked him out of the kitchen, but complied once the smell of cooking food filled the cabin once more. Lirii could feel her mood change the moment Cere had given her that box, and the rapid beating of her heart wasn’t going down. She just hoped no one would make it worse…

“Cere, are we stopping anywhere before we head to Zeffo?” Lirii called, unconsciously still poking at the meat in the pan.

“I didn’t think so. That Empire’s excavations are increasing by the day, and it’s only so long before they find that tomb.” The ex-Jedi stood beside the ex-Padawan at the stove, dropping her voice to a whisper. “What’s wrong? You seem off lately.”

“Can I tell you after dinner?” She replied.

“Of course, always. That looks done, Lirii.” Cere’s voice rose back to it’s normal volume as she covered their hushed conversation with the thought of food.

Dinner went smoothly, though Lirii had a feeling Cal knew somewhat that something was wrong. Her usual playful façade had shifted slightly, exposing a sliver of the wall she had built and rebuilt dozens of times. She could just pass it off as a mood-swing, which she tended to have around this time in the cycle. They were about two-ish hours away from Zeffo once they had finished eating and everyone thanked Lirii for making it, and it was really good. _Yeah, you’ve heard this all before._ That damned nagging voice was back. Why couldn’t it just leave? She knew it was probably some sort of Force fallout from using her lightsaber. At least the girl didn’t have Cal’s psychometry, or else even picking up the weapon would’ve been excruciating.

Cere and Lirii met to talk in the younger’s room, where Lirii picked up her snake and watched as he wrapped around her arm, before putting him back in his tank when Cere arrived.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” The older woman sat down on the desk chair so her younger compatriot could sit on her more comfortable cot.

“There’s a lot, and I’m sorry I haven’t told you, but you know how I am. I bury things, a lot.” Lirii waited for a response, but it seemed like Cere was just listening for now. “And- you know what, I’m just going to cut to the point. When we stopped on Bogano, I went away to meditate. Cal helped out a little, but I…I know I shouldn’t have done it because now I’m scared all over again. When I was in there, I saw my Master again. She was fine, until I took my saber back.” The mirialan unclasped her lightsaber from her belt, turning it over in her hand. “And she was dead, but standing in front of me, speaking the same even with blood spilling out of her mouth! It was-” She took a deep breath, calming her voice and shaking hands.

“Terrifying. Like she was judging me, even though she told me she never would. ‘You’re a survivor, Lirii. Do what you must to survive, I shall never judge you, for I know you’ll never do anything worth judgment.’ Oh, how wrong she was.” Lirii fell over onto her bed, waiting for Cere’s response. The Jedi took a long time contemplating what she’d say, thinking back to what she’d say to her own Padawan today, if she ever came back.

“Well..I don’t think you master would be ashamed of you in any way, Lirii. She would want you to find your true path, the one that you’re happy and safe on. We aren’t really safe here, but we’re working towards that, and that’s what counts. I believe that your master would want you to keep fighting, and not to dwell on the past. Is there anything else?”

The mirialan thought for a second, debating whether or not to tell her about the torture instruments at the bottom of the medical pack. She decided she should. Cere’s surprise was easily read on her face when Lirii explained, and profusely apologized. She agreed that she’d throw them off some cliff once they reached Zeffo.

For Lirii, that brought up a whole other problem. “Oh, you just reminded me. I don’t feel good about this trip to Zeffo.” She said.

“What do you mean? Like, with the Force?”

“Might be the Force, might be intuition or training. Either way, I don’t like Cal going in there by himself, or us landing at all. I don’t know what, but there’s something wrong.” Lirii thought back to her dream involving the Second Sister, not mentioning the Inquisitor for fear of upsetting Cere.

“I do trust your intuition, but you are tired and upset already. You did spar with Cal, right?”

“Yes.” Lirii replied in a newly annoyed tone.

“And he caught on quickly?”

“Yes.”

“Then he should be alright.” Cere got up from her seat, placing a hand on the young crewmate’s shoulder. “Will you be alright?”

“We’ll see. I hope so.” Lirii huffed.

“Alright. You might want to strap in, we’re landing soon.” The ex-Jedi stood in the doorway for a second, turning back to ask one more thing. “Do you want me to send in Cal? Maybe you can talk to him about this, he is your age.”

Lirii shook her head. “No, I’ll talk to him when we land. I’ll try to meditate when he leaves, maybe you can help me again? I’ll try not to throw up this time?”

“I’d like that. Thank you for letting me listen.”

“Thank you for listening, Master Junda.” Cere’s brow furrowed, but softened as she saw Lirii smiling. Both walked into a rather loud cabin, as Greez and Cal had gotten into an argument over where BD-1 was allowed to be on the console. From what Lirii heard, Cal didn’t see how he was a problem unless they were landing, in which case he could stay on his side. Greez rebutted that he needed to see as much open space as he could to look for hostile ships. The Padawan countered by saying that they’d have to not be spaceworthy if they were so small you couldn’t see them. The Mirialan medic stopped the argument by picking BD off the dash and bringing him to her desk, where there were data pads and flimsiplast to look through. The sheer amount of stuff in there was bound to keep him busy, as well as the holonet.

“There. Better?” The adventuring droid beeped a happy reply

“Good. Greez, I think we’re here.” Lirii pointed to a blinking red light.

“Oh, you’re right. Welcome back to Zeffo everyone!” Despite her smile, Lirii couldn’t help her unease. Maybe her feelings were wrong, but they’d never been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok extra long chapter for you lovely people! I’m sorry this took so long, but I just started summer school and it’s a pain. I will keep updating over the summer though!  
> Thank you all for reading and keep an eye out for my next chapter, which will partially be in Cal’s perspective.  
> Big stuff happening!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The Padawan climbed across onto a small island, looking over the vines he’d have to use to cross. Trilla apparently just loved taunting him, though. “And I had no idea that Lirii Telvas was with you and Cere. Taught you some of her techniques, did she?”
> 
> “How could you possibly know her?” Cal almost cringed at his defensive tone.
> 
> “She hasn’t told you? Oh, Padawan you’ve found yourself among plenty of traitors.” 
> 
> This is the big bomb I’ve been planning to drop since i started this fic, so i hope you guys are ready for it!

The Mantis took a while evading the winds, it had been a long journey from Lothal anyways, and now they had to fly through a storm. Any bump or rattle that the ship made only furthered Lirii’s worry. She knew they would reach the ground in one piece, but the added anxiety reminded her of why she didn’t want Cal to go. There she went, putting too much faith in what was just a bad dream, but something about this one felt different. Almost as if the Second Sister was actively haunting her steps, warning her about her incoming attack knowing full well the crew would never stand a chance. There was no point in telling Cal, because if even Cere thought she could be wrong, then nothing bad would happen. Still, the nagging need to just warn their new Padawan was gnawing at her.

Lirii cursed under her breath as she ran out to meet Cal outside of the Mantis. He had already said goodbye and headed out, but she’d been too deep in thought to offer a steady response. Again, she couldn’t believe her mind sometimes, and how often she could just go into autopilot. The mirialan’s brow furrowed as she passed bodies of stormtroopers to reach Cal, she assumed he’d have to kill some troopers, and wasn’t in the least opposed to it herself. It still came as a shock though. She was about to begin scaling a rough wall to bypass a turbine when some frightened sounds came from the cliff beside her. Lirii’s first thought was “Cal!” until the gloved hand of a scout trooper came into view, scrambling for purchase against the windswept rock.

Lirii put a hand on her hip, the other ghosting over the cold metal of her saber as she leaned over the edge.

“Well, hello there.” She said with a grin, ignoring the vertigo that washed over her.

The scout trooper looked up, only for his wishes of rescue to be crushed by the malevolent smile on the mirialan above him, and the lightsaber she had now unclipped from her belt.

“Rebel scum!” He managed to spit.

“Oh dear. Do you really think you’re in any position to say things like that?” Lirii replied, crouching down.

“You aren’t taking me prisoner, I’ll kill you!” The scout trooper desperately clambered for leverage against his indifferent foe, who now had ignited her saber.

“Prisoner? No no, you’re mistaken. I don’t take prisoners.” In one clean swipe the ex-Padawan severed the troopers arms at the elbows, letting the rest of him tumble into oblivion below. Lirii sighed, replacing the weapon on her hip and continuing to search for Cal. He couldn’t have gotten too far, could he? No, not too far. Just on the other side of a very precarious ice slide, and a rope to swing across a crevasse.

“Cal!” Lirii yelled, almost tripping over a dead scazz in the process. He turned from whatever wall he was staring at, surprise written clear on his face.

“Lirii? What are you doing here? I thought you were staying on the ship with Cere, she said she was going to help with meditation.” BD hopped down from his companion’s shoulder, climbing onto Lirii’s with a questioning chirp.

“No, I’m not staying. I just, didn’t say goodbye.” She replied.

“You sound like I’m going to my own funeral.” The Padawan scoffed. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Something. It feels wrong, like this whole thing is a trap. Have you seen any purge troopers, or inquisitors?” Lirii asked.

“No, I will tell you if I do. And besides, you taught me some of your moves, if I do see one I could handle it.”

The medic smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sure you could. Be careful, and good luck. You’ll need it.” Lirii wrapped the boy in a hug, squeezing tighter before letting go. BD-1 had jumped back over to Cal’s shoulder, whistling a goodbye when the mirialan took off back they way she came. With only a backwards glance and the hope that things would be okay, the girl retreated back to the Mantis.

Cere was waiting for her when she got to the landing platform with a scowl on her face.

“Where did you go? I thought you’d been snatched up.”

“I haven’t, I was just saying bye to Cal.” Lirii replied.

“Well, I suppose that’s okay. Do you feel well enough to meditate?” Cere asked, relieved.

“Don’t know. I’m a little scared of what I may see, but there’s no running from my fear now. The least I can do is learn to control it again.”

The ex-Jedi nodded, walking with her younger compatriot to Cere’s own room. There, the hum of the ship’s engine could barely be heard. Otherwise, Lirii would not be able to focus; she hated white noise.

“Let’s begin then.” Cere’s voice was calm and collected as the two kneeled. The mirialan quickly changed to a more comfortable seating position, with her legs crossed. It took a while, but she eventually reached a place that felt warm, safe and calm. Not ideal, as she was not grounded, but it would do. Lirii just hoped nothing would go wrong this time.

\- - - 

Cal was having a slightly more fun and more complicated time, navigating the many caves dug out by the Empire and their project Auger.

The tall ravine where the Empire was doing their excavations stretched high above the two adventuring companions. Sheer walls of grey slate were bisected by the occasional zip line, stormtroopers patrolling each level. A loud ringing thud made Cal jump, watching as one of the giant bronze Zeffo statues came crashing down. It was a stark reminder that although they no longer had funding, the Empire was still dead set on tearing this planet apart for its’ relics.

“Come on, buddy. Sooner we get to this tomb, the better.” Cal said to his droid. BD-1 was always eager to help out, even if it meant zip lining down into an Imp-ridden caverns.

The Padawan couldn’t help but think about what Lirii had said earlier, as he took down troopers and droids alike. She was his friend, and he trusted her for the most part. Like him, it was obvious she had some walls up, carefully built over however many years she’d been running. Maybe even before that, he didn’t know. What he did know, was that she was worried about him.

That was nice.

Cal supposed the rest of the crew was too, but Lirii tended to have more empathy than Greez or Cere, even if he could tell some of it was forced. He continued to think about what she was trying to get through his head, with the sudden sparring, that rush to warn him that was quickly covered up when he got too full of himself. What if there was an actual threat of the Inquisitors here? His train of thought was suddenly broken by the crackling of electrobatons.

A purge trooper, like the one on Kashyyyk. This one was quick with his jabs, and even more so with his words. He taunted through a voice modulator, or his voice was just that condescending and whiny.

“I don’t like you!” The trooper sneered, narrowly avoiding a sweeping blow of Cal’s lightsaber.

“Yeah? I don’t much like you guys either.” The Padawan replied, landing a solid hit to the attacker’s chest.

“Ugh! Jedi scum!” Cal was too slow to block a double strike that buckled his knee and probably cracked his jaw. At least that’s what it felt like. The battle ended once the purge trooper got too confident now that his adversary was in pain, and Cal sliced his body in half. Most of the time these things didn’t get to him until later. This was one of those times.

BD hopped down to lower a laser gate, that would’ve halted their progress right then. Cal gave his buddy a friendly pat on his head before advancing further into the cave, assuring the little droid that he was okay.

The next part of the cave was full of steep outcroppings, some far too tall to jump down safely, even using the Force. He found a couple he could slowly lower himself down on, just like back on Bracca. With a final wall run, and a risky jump for a rope, Cal Kestis found himself with only two paths to follow. The others were either inaccessible with his current abilities, or locked shut with blast doors. For now, it was go back and climb all the way back up to the Mantis, which would take forever _and_ be counterproductive. Or, take what looked to be a turbo lift down towards the tomb. He didn’t see a reason to try any of the others, and he needed to get down there, so the turbo lift it was.

When the button to call the lift was pushed, a sense of all-encompassing dread wallowed in the pit of Cal’s stomach. Everything felt cold all of a sudden. He couldn’t explain it, and had to force himself to take every step forward.

“Boop beep?” BD-1 asked, tilting his head.

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on. Just stay on your toes okay, buddy?” Cal replied as the turbo lift shrieked.

“Bwoop.”

The Padawan was just about to crack an actual smile, when the blast doors opened. He gasped, now seeing the thing Lirii was warning him about, was warning them all about. And she was standing right there as if this had all been part of her plan.

“Cal Kestis!”

The Second Sister trailed his name in a condescending tone. “Oh yes, I know your name. Your past. And most importantly, about Cordova.” She paced around in a slow circle, as if she had not a care in this world. “Tell me, where did he hide the holocron?”

Cal sunk into a solid defensive stance, trying to remember the sparring match he had on Kashyyyk. Everything felt so useless once Second Sister ignited her blood-red saber.

“Outstanding.” She hissed, cape swishing as she turned to face the poor Padawan. Cal waited in his practiced stance, watching as the Inquisitor paced back and forth. It seemed Lirii had one thing down, and that was her mannerisms. Study, predict, strike. Well, Cal Kestis was not going to let her be the first in any of those.

The Padawan lunged forward, making the first strike against this terrifying foe. She simply stepped out of the way, tagging him in the shoulder with her saber.

“Too slow.” Second Sister reminded him, zipping just out of reach. Cal panted, already tired from his trek down here, and now he faced a dark side user, without much practice. But he couldn’t just let himself be killed here. The inquisitor ran forward, using a spinning motion that didn’t quite hit him, but sent the boy into the dirt and rubble on the floor. Quickly, he blocked a downward blow that could’ve sliced his whole body in half. She retreated back to another corner of the room, now apparently running around just to show off.

Then, Cal remembered one thing that Lirii had said on Kashyyyk. “She’ll stop, but only to gather strength. Don’t let her.” She’d also said something about the Second Sister trying to get in his mind, but so far she’d just called him slow. Despite his exhaustion, Cal got to his feet, mimicking a move Lirii had done in their sparring match. Unfortunately it didn’t work with this Inquisitor.

He was stopped short in his attack by what felt like an invisible wall, that was now holding him up by his neck. The Second Sister pulled him closer, taking a moment to analyze his frightened face before launching Cal through a gated fence. He was lucky it was brittle and broke some of his fall.

The Second Sister pulled another one of her force dashes, speeding towards the helpless Padawan with her lightsaber held high. Just as soon as Cal raised his arm in a feeble attempt to protect himself, the sound of a laser gate powering up stopped the attacking Inquisitor. BD-1 had been even more quick to think than either of them, and saved his friend’s life.

Second Sister cursed under her breath, only a loud exhale could be heard from her helmet. She sheathed her deadly weapon as Cal was offered a stim by his droid. It helped somewhat, but he had a feeling their Mirialan medic could fix it up better than he. If he made it out of here.

“You’re learning.” The Inquisitor began, still walking back and forth like a caged wildcat. Cal was a little taken aback to hear her slightly out of breath. “Not quite as gifted as Cere’s last apprentice, but not bad.”

“You’ve been keeping count.” Cal replied.

“I’m surprised she hasn’t told you. Cere was never good at keeping secrets.”

The Padawan kept a hand on his lightsaber, ready to defend himself or run if she tried anything. It seemed, though, that the wall gave him a little more confidence. “And you know her _so_ well, huh?”

His hunter laughed with a growl that came with her helmet. “She was weak; cracked in an Imperial torture chair. They would never have found me,” she reached up, and with a pressurized hiss, removed her helmet. It was dropped to the ground with a metallic thud. “If it wasn’t for her. She betrayed me.”

Suddenly, everything clicked. “You’re Trilla.” Cal said, incredulous.

“In the flesh.” Her green eyes were piercing as they gazed through the shield, and right into Cal’s. Now he remembered Lirii’s other bit of info, to not let her get under his skin.  
“I wont let you manipulate me.” He replied, turning away and beginning to walk.

“So sure, are you? When she was faced with the decision between herself and her Padawan, she chose self-interest. She’ll sell you out, too.” Cal returned to his place behind the gate, an overly smug look on his face. He raised his arms, ignoring the angry slash cut across his bicep.

“Well, I can handle myself.”

Trilla scoffed, already annoyed but happy to antagonize a jedi anytime. “Can you afford to take that chance? Your new master harbours great darkness. The look on her face when she saw what they had done to me, as I am now. She turned, exposing her true nature. She used..the dark side.”

Cal couldn’t believe it. “She cut herself off from the Force.”

“Oh? How long before she cracks and betrays you too? Is that who you want beside you when you find the holocron?” She paused, trying to remember what she read on his file. With a malicious smile she continued. “What would Jaro Tapal say?”

In an instant, Cal’s smug attitude washed away to be replaced with anger. “You have no right to mention his name!”

“I wonder? What would he think if he could see his Padawan now? Skulking in the shadows with a betrayer.” The Padawan grunted, stepping closer to the Inquisitor with a solid scowl on his face. “And granting her access to a legion of impressionable students.”

“I wont let you touch them.” He snapped.

Trilla sighed, reaching out to grab her helmet with the Force as she walked away. “I thought the same thing, once.” Cal watched as she replaced her expressionless helmet and ascend in the turbo lift. There was nowhere left to go now, except for further into the bowls of this excavation in hopes to reach the tomb. It was evident that they were getting close now. More of the Zeffo’s metal architecture could be seen sticking out of the stone, or forming thin tunnels to crawl through.

‘Thanks for helping me out back there, buddy. You saved my life.” Cal was breathless and scared, but overall confused. He only hoped that there was an opening up ahead, where he could call Cere.

“Bwoop.” BD replied.

The Padawan took a moment to meditate and regain some of his strength. All the while he could only think that they should’ve listened to their medic’s intuition. That was until he came into a new cavern, and the tomb. It hung from the open ceiling by thick chains, and beautiful stained glass windows offered a semblance of warmth in this dreary place. Something about it still felt off.

“I found the tomb. But, Cere, why didn’t you tell me?” Cal’s comlink could get a stable connection, and he decided to confront her here.

“Because she’s a liar.” The purring voice of Trilla was one of the last things he expected from this call.

“You! How?” Cal replied.

“I rerouted communications the moment you tried contacting her. Slicing encrypted transmissions was always a past time of hers. She taught me once. There’s no technique Cere has, that I have perfected.”

The Padawan climbed across onto a small island, looking over the vines he’d have to use to cross. Trilla apparently just loved taunting him, though. “And I had no idea that Lirii Telvas was with you and Cere. Taught you some of her techniques, did she?”

“How could you possibly know her?” Cal almost cringed at his defensive tone.

“She hasn’t told you? Oh, Padawan you’ve found yourself among plenty of traitors.” The Second Sister laughed in the safety of her TIE interceptor.

Cal jumped for one of the vines, swinging onto a plateau of shale and moss. Trying his hardest to ignore the Second Sister, but it was hard when she was taunting his friends. Trilla couldn’t stand waiting.

“Your new friend used to be an inquisitor.”

The padawan’s heart nearly stopped. “No. You’re lying.” His voice echoed in the vast cavern. 

“Have you not seen the signs? How she lashes out at troopers, the fear when an inquisitor is mentioned? I’m surprised at your lack of sight.” A pause between both of them. “Although I wouldn’t expect much from a scrapper.” 

“She was a Jedi, same as everyone. You just want to get in my head. I won’t let you.” 

“And you _liked_ her. How does it feel to be betrayed by your own crew?” 

Cal didn’t reply.

Even though she could, Trilla didn’t reconnect the comms. She knew she already had dug her way under his skin.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It was someone trying to reach Cal, though. Trilla answered the comlink with a smirk on her lips.
> 
> “It seems you’re trying to reach Cal Kestis. I’m very sorry, but he is not available to speak to you Cere. Or is this Lirii? I heard you’ve joined that little band of rebels now.”
> 
> Lirii shut off the connection after she processed the voice on the other line. That was not Cal, definitely.”

The tomb before him seemed so plain now. Sure, it was magnificent, but after the news he’d just received? Everything was wrong. Cal shimmied through a narrow crack in the slate, listening as what was probably a tomb guardian wiped out troopers. He was too tired to deal with it, and pushed his way through a wall in the side.

Once he was through, a large room revealed itself. Water was up to his ankles, swirling as he waded forward, staring up to the walls and walls of lanterns. The thought of trying to contact the Mantis passed through Cal’s mind, but he decided not to, for fear of Trilla gaining control.

It didn’t matter, she had anyway.

“You’re running out of time.” The Second Sister purred.

“For what?” Cal barked back.

“My scouts have just located an artifact I believe could be of great importance at the rear of this tomb. Even now I’m studying it, learning his secrets.” She kept going on, though the Padawan wished she wouldn’t. “It seems Cordova was rather taken with these Zeffo. Perhaps enough to hide the holocron amongst their bones.”

“Yeah, we’ll see how much you learn.” Cal replied, pushing rocks out of the way to access more of the sunken tomb. A whole squadron of stormtroopers were waiting for him.

Most were scouts, slow and persistent, but easily parried. The others were just armed with blasters, which to Cal were target practice. With a steadying breath, he and his droid continued into the tomb.

~ ~ ~

Lirii had finally been able to meditate without the darkness consuming her. It took a lot of adjustments from Cere to achieve, and much patience, but she was able to focus and relax for a whole ten minutes. She was happy that nothing had gone wrong, but near the end something gave her a hell of a headache. The medic supposed it was only the result of her stressing, but it felt different then that. No, something had gone really wrong.

“Cere, has Cal commed in any time soon?” Lirii asked.

“No, why?”

“I just wondered. He was supposed to check in with me, and hasn’t.” Greez sent the mirialan a look that she would’ve expected from an embarrassing parent. “Shut up, Greez. I’m not kidding.” She scolded.

“I’ll see if he’s tried to contact us.” Cere looked exasperated, but checked over the frequencies that she could find. “I don’t see anything, but remember that he’s probably underground.” Lirii nodded, sitting back down on the sofa. For a moment she stared into space, thinking over what she could do to contact her friend. Of course, she was sure that she’d even get through, but she could try.

“I’m going to go outside for a second. Be right back.”

She stepped outside, finding somewhere out of the frigid wind to get a stable connection. It was easier said than done, but eventually she got a clear signal instead of a crackling up with the wind.

“Cal! Can you hear me? Cal!” Lirii called into the comlink. Nothing but static.

Cal couldn’t hear her, no matter how fine his communicator was working. At least well enough for Trilla to keep taunting him. He walked closer and closer to the sarcophagus hanging above a perilous pit, all lit up with lanterns and fire.

“I noticed something while examining this sarcophagus.” The Second Sister continued as Cal made a jump for the giant coffin. “It’s a very convenient location to dispose of nuisances.”

“You lured me here. Was this your plan all along?” The Padawan replied.

“You truly have the wits of a scrapper.” Trilla trawled, disconnecting his comlink. She stepped out of her TIE, into the sheer winds of Zeffo. Her hair whipped in her face, but it was good to at least have a little bit of fresh air, knowing the Jedi thorn in her side would be taken care of.

Cal panicked, quickly realizing how badly he was outnumbered. Purge troopers, stormtroopers and scout troopers all converged on the sarcophagus beneath him, as well as a troop carrier and an AT-ST. Blaster fire was hard to block when it came all at once in a wave. A few stray shots hit him in the leg or arm, and he was glad that his scrapper uniform was heavily padded. It still hurt like no tomorrow.

Things went from bad to worse as the transport began firing at the old chains holding them all up. At first he didn’t think they’d ever get through the thick iron, but he was wrong.

All in a second, Cal’s footing fell from beneath him, he lost grip of his lightsaber and watched in awful slow motion as it fell farther away.

Trilla stood calmly outside, knowing full well the Padawan would fall to his death. The inquisitor was rather enjoying the wind blowing through her hair until a ping on her comlink made her retreat back to her fighter. She studied the frequency, and it wasn’t the Padawan she’d just sent to his demise, nor was it any of her soldiers. It was someone trying to reach Cal, though. Trilla answered the comlink with a smirk on her lips.

“It seems you’re trying to reach Cal Kestis. I’m very sorry, but he is not available to speak to you Cere. Or is this Lirii? I heard you’ve joined that little band of rebels now.”

Lirii shut off the connection after she processed the voice on the other line. That was not Cal, definitely. That begged the question, where was he if the Inquisitors had his comm frequency? It was a stupid idea, she knew, but maybe if she could get Cere to track the connection somehow. The ex-jedi would take some convincing to not follow her, as she was just as worried about Cal as Lirii was.

“What do you mean you want me to track his frequency?” Cere responded.

“You know, see where he is.” Lirii said.

“I thought we couldn’t get a signal?”

“Well, we couldn’t, but I can now and want to go see if he’s alright.”

Cere sighed, rubbing her temple. “I’ll go with you.”  
“No, I’d like to go alone. If he’s okay, there’s no reason for both of us to leave Greez all alone here.”

“And if he isn’t okay?”

“Im a medic. I’ll bring my pack. Trust me, Cere, I’ve done well enough on my own before.” Lirii reasoned, wanting to get going. The only reason that she was so insistent on Cere staying back was she would rather get captured than the old jedi. Both her and Trilla had been through hell together, and she didn’t want to think of what kind of reconditioning they’d do to her. Well, Lirii would suffer a similar fate if she fell captive, but she’d been through it before and escaped before too. She didn’t entertain the idea of her actually breaking, like Trilla and the rest of the Inquisitors did.

“You don’t want me to go, do you?” Cere said.

“No.” Lirii admitted. “I’ll only be a few minutes, please just let me go see.”

“Alright, go ahead. Here are the coordinates.” The ex-Jedi crossed her arms after sending thre directions to Lirii..

“Really?”

“Yes, go! I’ll be here.”

The mirialan was cautious about Cere’s sudden change in demeanour, but it was an opportunity to go, so she did. Lirii readied her saber before she even saw the Imperial camp, perched on a high bluff. It was clear that the only people to come up here were stormtroopers and other imperial personnel, their boot prints stamped into the mud. Lirii’s brow furrowed, checking the location of the signal, and it was right in the middle of that camp.

She knew that right now there was no room for error. The Second Sister’s interceptor sat parked at the centre of their camp, and if _she_ caught her. Well, Lirii wasn’t sure she still had the skills to fight her off anymore. A small alcove cut into the stone served as a spot where she could gather a plan. Trilla was nowhere to be seen or heard, but it was assumed she had Cal, why she hadn’t left was beyond her.

A purge trooper ran right by where Lirii was hiding, not noticing the girl. She held her breath and tucked her legs in until she could no longer hear his footsteps, sighing and turning back to her plans. Right now, it was along the lines of: get rid of the soldiers, distract the Second Sister, grab Cal, leave quickly. Easier said than done.

The former inquisitor had a good understanding of how these soldiers worked, or so she thought as she peered over the grassy edge of the bluff. Once one went down, others would be quick to converge on his position, or grab the nearest superior officer. Lirii quickly ducked as a stormtrooper caught sight of her forehead over the outcrop, her plan already being forced into motion.

Quick as a serpent, she reached up to grab the soldier’s boot, pulling him off the side and into a chasm below. Lirii stood in wait, listening for the scraping sounds of duraplast on stone. Two more were easy to throw, and it wasn’t long before Second Sister got involved. Her force signature was unmatched and unique, unlike some of the other inquisitors. She didn’t even have to announce herself for Lirii to know who she was.

The toe of her boot was just visible over the edge of the bluff, but it turned.

“Commander, you told me something was picking off your men. I see nothing here.” Trilla snapped at the stormtrooper. This wasn’t going to work if she left in her TIE, and it was clear the inquisitor was losing interest. Something had to distract her, and fast.

Lirii looked around until she remembered the blaster on her hip. She aimed the muzzle at an outcrop of rock and fired, which definitely got Trilla’s attention. At the drone of a lightsaber igniting, Lirii knew she was in way over her head. Least she could do was follow through with the original plan.

The inquisitor took a half step off the edge, scouring the cliffs that echoed the blaster fire. Lirii took a breath and grabbed Second Sister’s boot, using all her strength to pull her over the edge. Trilla yelled as she scrambled for purchase against the rock. Her helmet was insuring her features, but the mirialan could tell she was very angry.

Lirii hadn’t seen the Second Sister or flown in a TIE in a long time, but she knew if Trilla had a prisoner, it would be in the Interceptor, with her. The only hope in her mind was that the inquisitor would take a while getting up, as she had fallen quite a ways down. Lirii climbed into the fighter, looking around the cargo hold for any Padawan that could be there. Nothing, save for a couple rations. She scrambled to move anything she could, but there was no one there. Had she really risked her life, and the life of her crew for nothing?

With fear in her eyes, the mirialan scrambled to get out of the fighter and run. She only got halfway off the bluff before a familiar voice stopped her.

“Ah, finally coming back to us, Sister?” Trilla purred, chest heaving as she caught her breath. “Unfortunately, I don’t have your Padawan. I assume you figured that out.”

“Trilla, it’s been a while. Where is he?” Lirii replied, moving into a defensive stance.

Second Sister shook her head, laughing. “Oh, ever naïve you are. I don’t have Kestis, Lirii. You, however, will suffice as another being for the Empire to break.”

The mirialan was not having any of that, and ignited her own saber. She pointed it at her opponent, gazing down the light before twirling it back into a more protective angle. “You’re not breaking me again.” Lirii hissed.

“No? It seems we didn’t break you enough before.” Trilla charged, just missing her target by a hair. Lirii hit her in the back of the head with the butt of her weapon, relishing in the small stagger of Trilla’s next swing. A low blow from the former inquisitor was dodged easily, and replied with a good strike to her shoulder. The hit was painful, and followed through with a roundhouse kick that sent Lirii into the stony ground, gravel tearing a graze into her cheek. She grabbed her lightsaber, and was ready to get back up, when a carefully placed knee on her back pinned her down.

“Ah-ah. They’ll be no need for that.” Trilla put her other boot on Lirii’s wrist, threatening to break it if she didn’t let go of her weapon. “Drop the saber, or I will snap your hand.” The heel of the military boot dug into the base of her hand, making Lirii yell and let go. Second Sister snatched up the weapon with a satisfied smile on her lips. She turned to her comlink, calling in for reinforcements that could properly arrest the irate force-sensitive thrashing to get out from the pin that this Inquisitor had her in. Eventually, she stopped trying to escape, now focusing on trying not to breathe in the dirt her face was smushed into.

“I admire your courage to face me, even through I am clearly the superior fighter. And your dedication to your new crew, but it would’ve been so much better if you’d shown that to the Empire instead.” Trilla began, waiting patiently for her purge troopers to arrive.

Lirii said nothing, hyperventilating into the ground as she struggled to control her panic. The dam finally broke and she was racked with tears, thinking about what would happen if she was taken back to the fortress. Would her nails be ripped from their beds again? Or maybe they’d chop off a limb properly. Either way, she was not looking forward to it. Trilla interrupted her thoughts with an annoyed sigh, talking into her wrist communicator again.

“Commander, where are my reinforcements?” She asked.

Lirii could barely hear under the inquisitor, but managed to make out something about the young Jedi escaping. Cal! He wasn’t in their grasp after all.

The Second Sister took a few moments to taunt the Padawan again, mentioning something about having made plans for everything. Lirii would’ve called out, but before she even opened her mouth, Trilla’s heel dug farther into her wrist, stopping any thoughts of getting help.

“See? Your Padawan isn’t with me, but he’ll be in over his head again in no time, you can trust me on that…what? Not going to talk?”

Lirii’s panic ebbed enough to shoot a nasty glare and snarl at the Inquisitor that had her pinned. “No.” She spat. 

Trilla shook her head with a tsk. “I believe someone is trying to contact you, Lirii. Who might that be?” Second Sister removed her boot from Lirii’s hand, holding it in her own to answer the call.

Of course, the mirialan knew it would be Cere. At this point she’d been gone for too long for the ex-Jedi to be comfortable, and she would’ve gone out looking for her. That meant that she might be close by.

 _“Lirii, where-“_ Despite the extremely annoyed and angry expression on Trilla’s face, Lirii interrupted.

“Cere! Cere, help me! Please! Cere! Cere!” It hurt to yell that loud, but she was desperate, and also knew it would strike a chord with her captor as well. As far as Lirii could recall, she’d been in a similar situation. Maybe this time her master would come for her.

Second Sister crushed the comlink, leaning closer to Lirii who at this point was trying everything to fight the Inquisitor.

“She’ll never come to save you, especially not from me or the Empire. What makes you think she will? Cere has lost her Padawan before and she’ll lose one again. Once my troops get here, I will personally make sure you are made into a weapon for the Emperor, nothing else. Do you understand?” She growled.

Lirii stopped yelling, but only to catch her breath. She couldn’t let Trilla get into her head, she was _not_ going back to Nur, even if she lost a limb for it. Hopefully the Second Sister would be wrong about Cere, hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m very sorry this took so long to come out! I had to finish summer school and them take a break, but I’m finally free for the rest of the summer and can catch up. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos and commenting. It is so motivating to see what y’all like!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Me here to say that this is one of the chapters with a renovation, so it might be worth a second read to be caught up with the tweaked character arcs. 
> 
> As always, enjoy reading, comments and kudos always motivate me like crazy

It took a whole ten minutes before Lirii stopped yelling. She would’ve continued had it not been for Trilla’s ignited lightsaber threatening to slice off her head. Her panic returned as Second Sister’s Purge Troopers came up the hill, two of them armed with staves and heavy blasters, not to mention the handcuffs and force-halting collar. Lirii recoiled from the cold metal, but didn’t try to attack, those shocks hurt enough. Best she could do was snarl, which she assumed looked at least a little intimidating with the blood dripping down her cheek.

Trilla spent what Lirii thought was too long talking to the Purge Commander, but she had always liked the sound of her own voice. Lirii herself hadn’t felt this afraid or angry since she was an Inquisitor, and she supposed that’s what they wanted, but something distracted her from listening to all the commands.

A rustle in the grass, different than the waves created by the wind patterns drew her attention. If it were a soldier of some sort, they would’ve probably made themselves known already. A flicker of hope began in her chest. She kept glancing to the break in the grass, watching as it got closer and closer, until it stopped under the bluff. Lirii noticed it wasn’t too far from where she had snuck up in the first place. The moment Trilla stopped her conversation and gestured for the purge troopers to take Lirii away, a barrage of blaster fire made them all duck.

“Cere!” Lirii yelled, breaking out of the grasp of the two troopers. She landed a sidekick to one of them, the trooper falling back into the dirt. The other tried to hit her across the head but she dodged and hit him with his comrade’s dropped blaster. Second Sister took off in search of her former master, but was thrown off her trail as Cere climbed up the bluff, grabbing Lirii away from the other Imperials. She really wished she could’ve done more, but at that point the only defence she had was kicking and punching. With her more nasty strikes from her scuffle with Trilla, those weren’t very viable options either.

The ex-Jedi hiked Lirii’s arm over her shoulder, supporting the hurt mirialan as they tried to make their escape. Of course, no proper Inquisitor would let their prey out that easily. Ms. Suduri was no exception.

“So, you were right.” She began, cutting them off.

“Apparently. You should leave, Trilla.” Lirii spat back, voice raspy from her previous screaming.

The Inquisitor laughed. “You, telling me to leave? That’s rich, considering you’re completely helpless right now.”

Lirii did admit there wasn’t much she could do right now, but Cere could at least help. She gave her supporter a tug on the arm, and she got the message.

Though she’d seen Cere use the Force before, it was still a little surprising when she did. The ex-jedi ignored the pain in her chest from seeing her Padawan again, and mustered up enough of a Force blast to send her flying. Lirii limped over to the groaning, half-unconscious body of the Second Sister and gathered her lightsaber. She thought for a moment that maybe they could take her with them. Trilla groaned and reached for her saber but couldn’t find it, dazed in the shadow cast by Lirii, Cere standing behind. The Second Sister locked eyes with those of her former friend, at least until the Empire consumed them both. _Traitors, all of them._ The common voice in her head reminded. Trilla made a fist of her hand, the wet dirt crunching in her gloved grasp as she prepared to fight.

“Trilla.” The voice of Lirii said out of a random burst of compassion. “Please, you can come back with us.” She ignored the warnings blaring in her mind as she extended a bruised hand to the recovering Inquisitor.

“No, Lirii.” Cere took a firm grip on her arm and dragged her away, not looking back at her former Padawan who had tears welling in her eyes that she was desperately trying to keep at bay. “She will just turn us in.”

“Are you telling me that or yourself?” Lirii snapped back.

“Now that’s not fair.” Cere replied. 

Neither of the two said anything else on the way back, not even when the ex-Jedi pitched the inquisitor’s lightsaber over a windswept cliff. Cere sat her down without a word on the couch while she woke Greez up.

“What happened to you?!” He practically shouted when he saw the mirialan.

“Inquisitor.” She barely replied, unwrapping her arms with a hiss.

“What were you doing with an Inquisitor?” Greez continued, talking from the cockpit.

“Trying to find Cal, but he wasn’t with her. I don’t know where he is.”

“I don’t know why you wouldn’t just tell me, and maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” Cere reprimanded. “But we have to leave, now.”

“What?! We can’t just leave Cal behind! First you leave Trilla back there and now you want to leave Cal?!” Lirii replied, standing a few inches taller than the ex-Jedi before her.

“Lirii, you don’t have the right to attack me for my mistakes!” Cere yelled back, voice cracking.

“I am not attacking you, _Cere_! You left her back there!”

“No! Lirii Telvas you can shut up and sit down!” She interrupted, the force behind her voice shocking the mirialan into a stupor, her jaw hanging open mid-word. She couldn’t follow the instructions, not when two of their closest people were being left behind. It didn’t take long for her to recover. Poor Greez was standing idle in the doorway, watching this shouting match unfold.

“Im sorry, but I am not your Padawan to order around like you’re still a general! You are not my Master and I’m glad of it! My master never abandoned me, even as she was facing me consumed by someone I wasn’t, she was there! She didn’t crumble and break!” Her voice cracked significantly, whining at the end as she struggled to keep her composure.

“Lirii you are being cruel!”

“I don’t care Cere!” Lirii scoffed as the Mantis left the atmosphere. “I don’t care. You leave one Padawan and now you’re leaving the other one. Hope you’re proud of the path you’ve set all your apprentices on. If she gets her hands on Cal you know he’ll be beyond our help.”

Greez made a weak little sound to add to the smouldering conversation that was getting more and more one-sided. “I’m not hungry, Greez.” Lirii said before she slammed down her jacket on the table and fled to her room.

Cere’s hands shook once she processed everything said in the past five minutes. Their captain took a seat beside her with plenty of space once she wrung her hands and dug her palms into her teary eyes.

“Cere, she was wrong to say those things.” Greez offered.

“She was right.” Cere sobbed. “I left them behind. Trilla and Cal both, and if he is captured I know I will have lost any respect I have with her. She knew Trilla, even as Padawans and she’s only recently forgiven me for leaving her.”

“She doesn’t understand. She was never a- a Jedi Master, how could she know what you’re feeling?”

“Greez, she was an Inquisitor. It’s because of that that she believes Trilla can be saved, but I saw her eyes. There’s no hope for her.” Cere dried her tears on her wrist.

“Look, I don’t know much about this Jedi and inquisitor stuff you’re dealin’ with. I’m only here to take you all where you need to go, and I’ve never met an inquisitor but I know it’s not who Lirii is. Maybe this Trilla can be helped but not right now. Right now we need to focus on Cal and where he is. Do you want me to go and talk to her?”

“If she won’t listen to me I’m sure she wouldn’t listen to you.”

“I can deal with that.” Greez offered a tissue to the crying Jedi. He walked around the kitchen in search of something that Lirii had mentioned a while ago, when they were on their short-lived tour of Lothal’s Capital city. A noodle bowl he bought on a tiny shopping trip. He was going to save it for himself later, but Lirii kept going on about how much she liked them, and maybe it would be enough of a peace offering to get her to listen to reason.

Her sobs were muffled by the door cutting off her room from the rest of the ship, but it was clear what she was feeling. Greez knocked gently, listening to the abrupt cease of the crying and a shuffle of blankets before the door slid open to reveal the serious, red-eyed face of their resident medic. An arrant contrast to how she normally was. For only a moment he could picture her as one of those black-clad imperial inquisitors, red saber and all.

“What?” Lirii interrupted his thoughts, voice sharp as a razor.

“I thought I could bring you something to eat. I know you said you weren’t hungry, but-”

“I’m not.”

“Okay…well can I leave it with you?” Greez conceded.

The mirialan took a breath, glancing at the steaming bowl of soup and back at her room; a mess. “Come in, I’ll have it now.” She took the bowl, the ceramic warm beneath her grazed palms.

The captain of the mantis sat uncomfortably on a chair opposite the muddled mess of blankets and pillows that was her bed, which Lirii sat on herself. Silence filled the room, lit by a dim overhead light and a few candles on her desk.

“Your room is very cozy, Lirii.”

Lirii didn’t reply, sipping at the spicy broth of the meal. Thoughts of what to say filled her troubled mind, thinking only of the fact that this was clearly an interrogation.

“I know why you’re here, and I won’t forgive Cere.” She said finally.

“I’m not here to ask for you to forgive her, but she’s hurting, Lirii. You’re the medic, you’re supposed to help people who are in pain. And it’s what you’re good at.” Greez replied.

“Maybe I- maybe I’m tired of helping. It doesn’t seem to work half the time anyway. I tried helping Cal, and I tried helping Trilla but they’re gone.” Her voice cracked as she found someplace to occupy her eyes, trying not to cry anymore.

“Lirii, they are not gone. Your inquisitor friend, maybe, but not Cal. He’s still around we just have to find him. And about Cere, could you cut her some slack? She’s got a lot on her plate right now, and I don’t think it’s helping any of us for there to be this tension in the ship.”

“I’ll think about it.” Lirii sniffled. “Is there tea?”

“No, but I’ll go make some.” The captain got up and left the room, shutting the door behind him. After finishing the noodles, which were admittedly very good, Lirii gathered what small courage she still had and joined him. Cere was on the couch still, meeting eyes with Lirii the moment she stepped into sight. The mirialan felt like a little Padawan learner, barely out of the crèche, being scolded. No one said anything, but the staring was becoming uncomfortable. Greez brought down some tea and parked the ship, staying out of the tensioned silence.

“So? What are our leads?” Lirii asked, hoping a quick change of subject would avoid the inevitable confrontation.

“Lirii, please.” Cere replied.

“Cere, ok I’m sorry. I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair of me to say earlier. Does that make it better? Can we look for Cal now?”

“Lirii.” The ex-Jedi sighed. Her only remaining part-time Padawan felt a pang of guilt once she saw the condition she was in. As much as she didn’t really mean the previous apology and was still angry, Cere had just seen her fallen Padawan again and _had_ to leave because she was a hazard to the crew. She was just trying to protect the only family she had left.

“I…ok Cere, I’m sorry. Truly I am. It was wrong of me to say that. I know how much she meant to you, I just thought- just thought I could get more than one friend back today.” Her voice was hoarse despite the tea she drank, straining to keep itself together.

“I know. And I wish we could too, but Lirii,” Cere placed her hands on the mirialan’s shoulders. “We have to think about who we _can_ save. Do we have any leads on Cal?”

Lirii put her hand over Cere’s and pulled slightly away from the hold. “I’ve got his comm frequency, but I don’t know how to track it. Could you help me?”

The ex-Jedi’s face lit up with relief. “Of course, come on up. Sit, put on the headset.” Although the slicing lesson took a good two hours, nothing became of it. Static on every channel and a dead screen whenever they tried to track the comlink down. Lirii huffed and slammed the headset down on the monitor, running a hand through her hair to calm herself down. _Let’s think. How did the Empire track people?_ A strangely practical thought popped up in her head. Cere had gone off to meditate or sleep after the long day, and Greez had been playing a game of holo-sabacc for the past hour, he probably wouldn’t notice if she took the throttle and flew them to Coruscant. No one would mind if she sliced into some imperial frequencies she’d memorized. The one she chose to go through was patched by a star destroyer she and the other inquisitors had frequented on various missions. Always her and another, more trusted one. Just in case she tried something to escape. They were right to do that, the one time she was left alone was when she fled. _Focus_. Lirii reminded herself. Buttons clicked beneath her fingers as she accurately slipped right into the top secret communications the inquisitorius used.

 _“No Sister, we are unable to locate the Jedi.”_ The voice of a purge trooper crackled through. Lucky strike to patch into a comlink like this. But she knew it wouldn’t be only her listening, the Grand Inquisitor liked to keep tabs on his underlings, even prized pupils like Second Sister.

 _“Well, has he been captured by someone else, commander? I shouldn’t be the one pointing out something so obvious.”_ Lirii took a deep breath, somehow fearing that they could hear her heart pounding in her ribs, it was that loud.

 _“He has left Zeffo, we cannot find any sign of him on the other planets he’s visited.”_ So the Empire didn’t have him, thank the maker. That was enough, she didn’t need to hear Trilla lose her temper on the other end of the line and disconnected with a small burst of electricity.

Sleep almost caught her off-guard, and she didn’t realize how heavy her eyelids were until her forehead hit the desk. Everything seemed to move around her, the ship spinning slowly as she shambled back to her room. For the slight moment the haze of sleep faded she hesitated knocking on Cere’s door. Cal, wherever he was, was probably scared out of his mind, and that made up her mind to knock. Light footfalls ended in front of the door and it opened.

“Lirii, what happened?”

“The Empire doesn’t have Cal. I’m sorry but I won’t be much use to him like this, I need sleep.” Lirii trawled.

“Its okay, it’s okay. Go to bed, I’ll see if I can turn anything up.”

She nodded tiredly, almost falling right back into her room opposite Cere’s.

Lirii, despite her exhaustion, had sat herself on her bed, watching space through a tiny viewport in the ceiling. Other than a candle in the corner, the room was dark. A heater kept it warm enough to be comfortable for other people but not for its current occupant, she was freezing even wrapped up in her sheets. The voice of the Second Sister, Trilla, kept circling her mind. She hadn’t heard that voice in over a year, and it wasn’t very nice to hear now. How could she extend her hand to that monster? She thought, feeling out the large discoloured scar on her shoulder.

Lirii moved to massage her bruised wrist with caution, wincing when she hit a particularly sore spot. Whenever she was injured in the fortress, there were highly trained medics in nearly every floor, especially in the Inquisitor training areas. Unless in reconditioning, all encumbering wounds would be tended to quickly. Inquisitors that couldn’t fight or hunt Jedi were useless after all. Though she was in pain, it was better than _there._ Even with the lesser quality of rooms and food, the Mantis was still more like a home then the overly sanitary halls and the water threatening to crush the whole base. Not to mention all the torment that filled each one of the rooms and corridors. Sleep took her then, to see all these vile memories in detail. Oh how she wished she could have one night where nothing happened. Just sleep, was that too much to ask?

An hour later and Lirii woke up rocking herself gently in her bed. She reached up to wipe a warm wetness from her cheek and her fingers came back bloody. Of course the graze on her face had been opened, why wouldn’t it? As if current events weren’t enough. She almost broke down because of that alone, but now wasn’t the time for weakness, she knew that. Now maybe she could put some things she’d learned with the Empire to good use.

She turned on the light in her room, shielding her eyes from it until they could adjust and she could think one coherent thought.

The Inquisitors would track their prey based on information from other people, jumpy stormtroopers and civilians mostly. Or, someone would work with the Empire’s finest to hunt Jedi, or demand a ransom if they caught them before the Inquisitors. The ransom demands were very risky. Depending on which brother or sister you were dealing with, they could just kill you and take the credits and the Jedi instead of listening to your speech. Lirii would rather watch and listen, as she always did.

So, they could see if a crime syndicate had Cal.

She pulled up some old contacts on her datapad, sifting through clan after clan. Any bounty hunter worth their stock would be excited to have a Jedi as their prisoner but not every one would want to mess with Second Sister’s prey. Hutts would have no interest in the Mantis crew, and the Pykes had disappeared. Who would? As tears no longer stung the scrape on her face, thinking was far clearer. Clear enough that Lirii could now remember a conversation she’d overheard between Cere and Greez, about a different clan of hunters. The Haxion Brood. Something besides logic told her that’s who took Cal Kestis, and that was where they needed to go.

“I know where he is.” Lirii said as she appeared the top of the stairs. Both other occupants stood at her entry, Cere with a surprised look on her face.

“Where?” She asked, brow furrowed.

“The Haxion Brood. Probably. Thanks to this gambler here.” Lirii gestured to Greez, who seemed far too guilty to not believe her. “Do you know where their base is?”

“Yes, but it’s in the middle of an asteroid field. Very dangerous to get into.” Greez replied, pulling up a hologram of the headquarters on the holotable. Even the construct looked intimidating, built right into one of the space rocks. They’d been through worse though.

“It’s a good thing we have a talented pilot in our crew, then. We need to go get Cal before he’s killed.”

“I couldn’t agree more, but we need to be very careful, Lirii.” Cere reasoned.

“Cere, with all respect, I just fought an inquisitor with no plan and I’m not dead. We don’t have time to tiptoe around this issue right now.” Lirii replied.

“But you’re hurt.”

“And I’ll fight her again like this. I’m sorry, but I’m tired of cowering from my enemies.” She knew that her actions were brash and they would benefit from planning, but she had to get her crewmate out of that bounty den. Those things sometimes held far worse then just the hunters… Cere looked to their Captain, who shrugged.

“She’s got a point.” He said.

The ex-Jedi let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temple. “Fine! Fine, okay. We will go get Cal from the Brood. But we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

All three of the current Mantis crew helped calculate the hyperspace jump, and strapped in for the hasty retrieval of their Jedi Padawan.

The jump wasn’t very far from Zeffo, about an half hour of preparation time. Greez had informed the crew that they’d have an open landing platform in the form of an arena. Lirii didn’t know they were going all gladiator on their captives, but it scared her if Cal was the one fighting. Not that she was frightened for his life, she was just worried she might not have enough supplies to fix him up. Cere assured her that if he needed it, she could help tend to any injuries.

“But I’m sure he can handle himself.” She said. 

The Mantis pulled out of hyperspace before the edge of the asteroid field, everyone bracing in their seats for the tight flight path ahead of them. Rocks threatened to crush the ship at every turn, some even chipped off the paint when they got too close. It was in the rough centre of the asteroid belt that the headquarters of the Brood came into view. Just as it was on the holotable, it sat imbedded in one of the meteors, glowing in space.

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Greez said, beginning to pull into a window that looked far too small to fit through. It wasn’t, and there was much cursing from the crew as they smashed through a durasteel wall. Crowds at the exposed arena scattered at the ship’s intrusion. Rightfully so, they did have blasters. Lirii leaned as best she could to get a view out of the front viewport, to see if Cal was coming. At first she was frightened he wasn’t there, until he climbed up the ramp and into the Mantis.

Before the Haxion Brood could muster any sort of countermeasure, the reunited crew pulled out of their base. It was some very quick maneuvering from Greez to get them out of there quickly, and back into open space. Lirii waited at the door to greet Cal but he waved her off. She was taken aback, he’d been gone for almost a whole day and a half, surely he’d be glad to see them. Cal took a seat on the sofa when they stopped moving, leaning back to catch his breath before standing up again.

Lirii only had to take one look at the blood staining his outfit and knew he faced more than the monsters in that arena. She recognized those strikes, she had them too. 

“Greez, you’re famous down there.” Cal began, sounding less than a little grateful.

“Yeah, they’re an ugly bunch eh? They smell like used droid oil, heh heh. At least you’re okay.” 

“A complication we could’ve avoided, luckily we found you.” Cere added.

“Well, there’s another complication. The Empire knows about the holocron.” Cal replied.

“That’s not good. The entre mission is now at risk.” 

“I also had a nice chat with the Second Sister.” His grey-green eyes found Lirii, who was trying her hardest to fade into the background. “Trilla.” 

Cere also glanced to the half-panicked mirialan in the side, returning the conversation to Cal. “What did she tell you?”

The padawan huffed. “She told me...she told me that you betrayed her to the Empire. Is it true?”

“She’ll say anything to jeopardize this mission-“

“Is it true?!” 

“She was my apprentice. Before the purge.”

“You should’ve told me!” He held his tongue when it came to speaking about Lirii. He still didn’t know if what the Second Sister had told him was true. He didn’t want to believe it either way.

“We’re receiving an encrypted message from Kashyyyk!” Their captain interrupted.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back from the dead and still no summary!

Cal limped over to the holotable to speak with one of the partisans that helped him before. Apparently, they all needed to go back to that humid, bug-infested jungle of a planet. Lirii was all for helping the rebellion. Cal kept shooting looks her way, ranging from worried to questioning. He didn’t say anything, but she knew he knew something. Trilla had obviously been running an exposé on the crew. Even if she had told Cal her tragic backstory, Lirii could see he needed some medical attention. She gestured to her room, following behind the injured Padawan in silence, sitting him down on the chair by her desk.

Both of the force-sensitives in the cabin were quiet. Lirii’s boots made a soft clicking sound against the metal floor, and a rustle of fabric and duraplast medical supplies as she brought her kit over to her patient. Lirii tended to Cal’s wounds with accuracy and speed, as always. The only thing missing was her smart remarks and humming. The silence was getting frustrating though.

“I spoke with the Second Sister while I was in that tomb.” Cal broke the thick quiet. The medic paused her ministrations, putting down the stitches she was about to set. “I didn’t want to believe her, but she said that you used- you used to be an Inquisitor. Like her?” Lirii measured her reply carefully. Cal probably knew the truth already.

“Yes.” Was her simple reply. “She wasn’t lying.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He replied, wincing as he turned to face her.

“Because you wouldn’t trust me, you wouldn’t trust any of us. I know you’re angry at Cere and I, but we had no choice.” Lirii replied.

“Cere had a choice. She could’ve sacrificed herself for her Padawan, and maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.” He grumbled.

 _Now that’s not fair._ She thought. “I didn’t.” 

“You did.” Cal said. Lirii couldn’t help but hear the condescending in his voice. 

“No, Cal. I didn’t. Let me know the next time the Empire tears you apart and puts you back together again, if you feel like you have a say in the matter.”

That shut him up. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Cal replied looking scared.

“No, you didn’t. Every emotion I feel today is tainted by what they did! Every smile, every laugh, I don’t even know if they’re mine half the time!” Now standing, Lirii ignited the bright green blade on her hip. Cal Kestis flinched away, but it was only to stress her venomous points. “They took everything, even myself.” She dropped the blade to her side and sheathed it, sitting back down. Lirii’s face felt hot with emotion and embarrassment as she recovered from her outburst. “I’m sorry.”

Cal was at a loss for words, he put his shirt back on but that was the extent of what he knew how to do then. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Somehow I’m glad you think that’s true.” Lirii replied, replacing the medkit on her desk. Her gaze fell to her hands. “Is there anything else I can do?”

Cal unconsciously fidgeted with a velcro patch on his pants, something, anything to occupy his attention from the awkward situation before him. His arms and back still hurt but from the bags under Lirii’s tear stained eyes he knew it would hurt less for her if he let her go be by herself. “No, I’m okay.”

The mirialan sighed and wordlessly began rolling up her sleeves to replace some of her own wrappings. Cal smiled thinly and walked out of the room, finding a seat on the couch. Cere and Greez were eager to hear all of the things Lirii had confessed to him that she would keep hidden from the adults. But truly there was nothing to tell, not like Cal would. He sipped idly at a large cup of caf while BD made many attempts to cheer him up, none of which succeeded. The atmosphere in the fuselage was nothing but unease, and the only sound came from the rumbling of the engine beneath their feet.

Cal checked his chrono. Time meant nothing when out in open space, but humans like himself still needed sleep and he hadn’t gotten any in at least two days. Maybe a day and a half, but it was taking its toll. He picked up the little droid and set him on his shoulder while he walked back to his room. His over shirt was thrown somewhere on the dark floor and his boots discarded in a similar manner. The thick dried mud would have to be scrubbed out of them later, but for now the best thing in the galaxy seemed to be the little cot he called his own. Cal was asleep before his head hit the pillow, and almost thought he’d woken up right as he laid down but the automatic lights said otherwise. As well as Greez a foot away from him.

The captain of the Mantis gave a similar lecture as he did to Lirii, defending Cere and her past that he hardly understood. Cal was a little more responsive than his other force-sensitive friend, and decided to get up and make some breakfast. He passed by the locked metal door painted with the geometric patterns that marked it as Lirii’s but decided not to intrude. She probably wouldn’t appreciate it, and he might not be in her good books right now for how he spoke the previous day.

Lirii, however was wide awake, had been for the past four hours and with her own breakfast she was eating on her bed. She’d heard Cere’s early rising footsteps pass by the door and quietly as she could make a cup of tea for herself and take a shower, then Greez as he shuffled through the hallway and finally Cal; who she noticed had paused at her doorway for just long enough she thought he’d barge in. But he passed and could be heard rifling through the pots and pans to make himself something to eat. In the solitude she had plenty of time to think about the words said yesterday and had decided that she was in fact mad at Cal Kestis and scolded herself for getting so worked up about the whole thing. She promised herself she’d never make another of her friends afraid of her or be cruel to anyone like she had been to Cere. The one who picked her up out of those crowded, infectious streets of Corellia after her break from the Empire, and she deserved more respect than what she was given.

 _Can I not start crying again please?_ Lirii thought as a lump grew in her throat and tears pooled in her eyes. She took a deep breath that was interrupted by the hollow sound of a knock at the door. Whoever was on the other side of the door would just have to deal with her puffy eyes and barely brushed back hair.

The door slid open with a pressurized hiss that startled Cal on the other side. Lirii was a little surprised too.

“Hi.” The mirialan began. Cal tried and failed to meet her cold jade gaze. Her eyes seemed to stare right through him, somehow knowing any thought he had. Lirii’s short nails drummed on the metal, punctuating every moment of silence that hung in the air. “Cal?”

“Um.” Cal swallowed, ignoring the comments of BD at his side. “I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to be so unfair to you.” 

“It’s a mess in here, but you can come in to talk.” She drew her hand across her cheek. The wetness there was normal at this point. The Padawan’s chest felt heavy with the guilt and hurt of that very long day.

“I am angry with you. Maybe not angry, just frustrated.” Lirii said before Cal could utter a word. 

“Oh…okay. Do you want me to leave?”

“If you want to.”

Cal looked at the tattoos on her hands they’d previously discussed. “Um, I…sorry, I can’t really think of what to say.”

The way he said that made some of the frustration go away. Of course he had no idea the magnitude of what the Empire did, how could he?

“It’s alright, Cal. Neither can I…I do understand though, so you don’t have to explain. The apology is appreciated, I assure you.” She gently placed one of her hands over Cal’s, hers was far colder in comparison. He drew a quick breath but the gesture only lasted a moment then she brought it back.

“Have you eaten?” The padawan asked. Lirii nodded in reply, picking up her clear plate to show him.

“I was wondering if you wanted to try to meditate before we get to Kashyyyk? It might help.”

“Sure.” Lirii said.

“Well let’s give it a try.” Cal kneeled on the floor, which Lirii quickly mirrored.

“Try.” She scoffed, remembering something that Master Yoda used to say. “Do or do not, there is no try.” Lirii ran a hand through her hair at the amateur impression. Cal got a little laugh out of it too. She wasn’t sure anyone ever understood what he meant by that, despite him saying it so often. One of her other Padawan friends from long ago, Caleb, was half-infamous for his impressions and tomfoolery. Lirii let out a sigh when she settled on the floor. Where is he now? She wondered. Where are any of them that weren’t slaughtered on the battlefield or the temple? Her fate could’ve been much worse had she been on Coruscant. No matter, back to the meditation.

Lirii focused on her breathing, surprised at how easy it was after the episode earlier. That was good. It took a while to still the rapid beating of her heart, but once she did it was easy to get in the zone needed for reflection. Cal would frequently make his presence known if he shifted his stance, clearly uncomfortable with the kneeling position he chose and soon fell into a more comfortable seated one. He would also offer a hand if Lirii started to feel panicked should she need something to ground her, and for the first five minutes it did. It was only a matter of time before that changed.

Another loud knock at her door woke Lirii from her reverie. Cal was nowhere to be seen and that was what first made her wary. She stood abruptly, face scrunched up in a scowl that hurt to hold. The door opened silently, matching the rest of the quiet in the ship. Lirii didn’t notice anything strange until she stepped out and fell through the floor of the hallway. Without warning the mirialan was plunged into a sea of ink, unable to see even her bandaged hand in front of her or the crutches that floated away to the invisible surface. A silent yell left her lips as the heavy void dragged her down. Farther and farther until she was sure it wouldn’t let go. Just as Lirii was about to give up, a slender hand reached out from above. She wasn’t sure who it was, but it would be better than constantly drowning.

The hand pulled her up, out of the pool and back into her room on the Mantis. It was still dark and silent, without even the low rumble of the ships’ engines beneath her feet. The person who sat on front of her was her master. With no wounds or ominous energies around her this time. Only the calm, collected personality she always had.

“Master Kylak?” Lirii asked timidly.

“Do you not recognize me, Padawan? That’s alright. Please, sit.” The older togruta gestured to a cushion before her. Lirii scanned the dark room, making her way over to the floor slowly, with all the caution of approaching an unstable animal. “How have you been?”

“I’m sorry is this a psychotic break I’m having? It was only a matter of time.” The Padawan interrupted. Too many thoughts passed through her brain it was hard to decipher which ones made the most sense. Turns out not many.

“No, Lirii. I came to talk to you. You’re having a hard time now I can see, so I thought I could offer some advice.” The Jedi phantom said. For some reason, Lirii scoffed.

“Having a hard time now? No offence, but where were you when I fought against the Empire? Or when I had to kill those younglings? Or how about- never mind.” Lirii knew the answers to some of these questions. A hand on her shoulder broke her out of the thousand yard stare she had. It was warm and solid, the exact opposite of what she was expecting from her dead Master. Guilt and comfort made a strange pit in her stomach. It swirled into a confusing mess that came forward as tears without expression. Master Kylak’s thin hand wiped the tears from her scarred cheeks.

“I’m sorry, dear Padawan. But it was your fault. All of it.”

“Master?” _This_ was not the the answer she was expecting. Lirii flinched away from the once gentle hand that now felt sickeningly devoid of life.

“You have fought hard for what you have but you will never be anything more than the Empire’s leftovers.” Her master said in her smooth, calm way that was now so unsettling it made Lirii feel sick to her stomach. The room swayed as she stood.

“Get out!” At the yell Master Kylak faded away into the dark room, leaving Lirii standing starkly in the middle of the room. Her hands shook with the shock of the sudden shift. “Cal?!” She spun around in the open room, feeling around until her hand smacked something warm and soft: Cal’s face. He jumped up from his own meditation, unconsciously grabbing the hand that had hit him. Lirii pulled it away from his grasp and held it close to her chest, her breaths short and shallow.

“What happened?” He asked.

“My master, I…” She struggled to find the words for what just happened. “It was my fault, Cal, all of it.”

“No, no it wasn’t and you know that.” The Padawan took a step forward, but Lirii just backed away.

“Please, I’m scared I’ll hurt you.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me. I know you wouldn’t.”

“How?” Lirii replied. “How do you know what I will do?”

Cal reached for the lightsaber on his belt, placing the cold blade in Lirii’s hand. She stared at the cold metal, feeling the detail of the metal under her fingers. “If you wanted to hurt me, you would’ve done it already. I trust you.”

 _I trust you._ Words like that, she hadn’t heard since the Clone Wars. Cere and Greez inherently trusted her, she knew that, but none of them had been so comforting as to say it out loud.

“You trust me? Even though-”

“Yes, I do. I might not know what you’ve been through, but I can try to help.” Cal finished her sentence, accepting the saber she handed back. “Would you like a hug?”

“A hug?”

“Yeah, a hug.”

“Sure.” Lirii was wrapped up in the arms of this Padawan who said he trusted her, and for that moment she was unable to see why he would want to. She had killed people, _killed_ her own brothers and sisters of the order, and Cal Kestis was willingly hugging her with no fear for his life. It took a few seconds before she reciprocated stiffly.

“Thank you, Cal.” Lirii said quietly, releasing herself gently from the embrace. Her gaze flicked to one of the viewports in the ceiling, a vibrant green and gold now shimmering into the room. “Guess we’re here.” She moved to gather her jacket and lightsaber, but Cal had an idea.

“If you want to, you could stay here and get some proper rest. I won’t go until you’re up and ready to go with me.”

The mirialan paused mid-grab of a canteen. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you could sleep for a few hours and when you’re up, we’ll go together.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll sleep for a bit, but only for a bit.”

Cal nodded once and left the room, following a simple request to leave the door open and the lights on. Lirii could sleep like that no problem, but she could fall asleep standing up if she needed to. Finally, her sleep brought nothing to scare her, and she never heard the Padawan leave the Mantis.

She woke up in the middle of the day with a crick in her neck. Checking the chrono on her wrist it had been over four hours. Was Cal even still here, she’d be surprised if he was and a little ticked off of he wasn’t. He did _promise._ But he wasn’t. Neither were Cere or Greez, not inside the ship anyway. Lirii sighed and pulled on a dark brown jacket while she stepped out into the warm sunlight of Kashyyyk. The silence was different, though, and revealed just what she had gotten herself into.

An acrid smell of leaking fuel and carbon filled the air and stung her nostrils when she breathed, coming from the walkers that lay scattered around the camp and the scorched trees around. Some still spouting smoke from their previously green leaves. Lirii’s eyes grew wide at the sight, and it was clear the Empire was fed up of this little rebellion here.

“Cere, Greez.” Lirii stated, a seriousness darkening her brow. The older Jedi turned from her conversation.

“Lirii, you’re up.” Cere replied. She seemed unsettled, but the fact that their mirialan wasn’t dying was something of a relief.

“Yes. I see the Empire got here before we did, where’s Cal?”

“They did, unfortunately. Cal’s gone to look for Chieftain Tarful in the Shadowlands. That was a few hours ago now.” Lirii paused, trying hard to visualize where that was, but truthfully she didn’t know. The last time she was here, she just went with her brother. Her brother! How’d she let him slip her mind? Even with her slight panic about her sibling’s well being, she steadied her thoughts.

“I’m going to go find him. Does his comlink have connection in there?”

“No. But I don’t think-“

“Cere, she’s going to go either way.” Greez chimed in. He was right, of course. Cere knew that was what was going to happen and offered two stimpaks incase someone got hurt. Lirii gently placed the stims in her rucksack of other medical supplies and headed of with a reassuring grip on Cere’s forearm. The mirialan promised herself she would not let this Jedi lose more Padawans, hopefully she could keep that promise.

Tracking a Jedi through the dense forest of Kashyyyk is no easy task. It was bold of the Empire to have expanded this far, far bolder than they were before. Their dark durasteel walls still sent chills up her spine as an elevator lowered her into the refinery so brashly carved into the valley around it. TIEs whined overhead while Lirii made slow progress into less and less Imperial occupied territory. Until only a dangerous slope and one more bridge was the only thing between her and wild forest. Well, that, and stormtroopers. From her place debating her chance of survival, she could already see their bodies laying in the halls. Duraplast shining in the rays of sun that hit them, and the occasional contrast of bright red blood. Lirii sighed as she walked over the corpses. It wasn’t hard to notice the clear marks of a lightsaber slicing along limbs and torsos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I still don’t really like this chapter, but it’s fixed so things make more sense going forward.
> 
> Anywho, thanks for reading again! Let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know it’s been like, three months but I’m back! I hit some major writers block with the beginning of face-to-face school and lost my best coping mechanism, which is projecting onto my characters.

More dead troopers lay ahead, paving the clear path forward. Until Lirii came to a zip line; the only thing that would get her across a massive ravine below. She pressed the call button on her comlink, waiting for Cal to hear the loud ping on the other end. He didn’t pick up.

“Cal, this is Lirii. I’m on my way towards your position. If you could get back to me quickly, I’d appreciate it.” She left the message and found a few boxes to climb up onto the thin line. The braided cord dig deep into her palm through her glove, reminding her of why she’d set a brace for it earlier. Lirii grit her teeth and swung her legs up to the line. _There_. She let out a heavy exhale and began to crawl upside down down the cord. Every so often making sure she stopped to not slip off. After that it was only a perilous drop into warm water. The pools of this jungle were full of algae and other plants, so much that it seemed to stick to ones skin like a film. Though after it dried it would flake off, but it was very uncomfortable during the time it would take to dry. Lirii wiped some of it off her shirt and pants and pressed on through a very muddy tunnel. _Huh, by the end of this I might as well just throw these clothes away._ She thought, looking down at the caked on brown sludge. Her boots squelched as she carefully stepped past giant predatory plants, their jaws leaking a near sickly sweet smell. Alike to the jogun fruit back at the mantis

Before long, the heat was maddening. A deep fog had settled in the valley and brought with it even more of a sickly heat that made her clothes stick to her skin. Even though it was only air, it felt close enough to water to weigh her down significantly. Lirii wiped down her face with the back of her hand and continued forward. Creatures skittered across the festooned vines that darkened the forest floor below, some were insects larger than she’d ever seen. Then again, almost everything on this planet was massive in comparison to her home worlds. On the path before her lay a broken bridge, with just enough planks to cross. She just hoped they didn’t splinter apart like the rest did.

Lirii’s boot hit something living as she raised it. She yelled out in surprise, and kneeled down to scrape the mud off of whoever it was. They weren’t Empire, that’s for sure. It was one of the partisans, leg caught in a jaw plant but alive and unconscious. She ignited her lightsaber and sliced through the plant to pull the man’s leg free. Thankfully, none of the plant’s digestive juices had eaten through his pants or boots. The more concerning thing was the blaster shot through his arm and waist. Nothing too fatal, Lirii observed. 

“Hey! Hello?” Lirii said, tapping the partisan’s cheek. Her brow furrowed when he didn’t respond, but he woke within a couple seconds. Very much alive and very scared, his green eyes snapped open, bright against the mud on his face, and looked around. He scrambled back with a frenzy in his wide eyes, taking some time to recognize the person in front of him.

“Oh, you’re not Empire. Thank the stars.”

“Good, you can move. I’m Lirii Telvas, I’m here to help. Do you know where you are?” Lirii questioned, looking for a small box of stims she kept handy.

“Lirii?” The voice was very familiar, and so were the geometric tattoos when she wiped the mud from his cheek. Oh. If she’d known it was Raishir she wouldn’t have said anything about her last name. “You said your last name wasn’t Telvas, but… I had a feeling...” 

“Hi, Rai.” She sighed. “It’s good to see you alive again. Promised I’d be back, didn’t I?” Lirii replied, injecting a stim into one of the worse blaster shots.

“Why, ow, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Because I didn’t want the Imperials to use you to get to me. If they knew you were my brother and you knew I was around, they’d torture you into giving them my whereabouts. Now, those blaster shots should take a day, tops to heal. I need to find where Cal Kestis is. Have you seen him?”

Rai looked positively dumbfounded. He had a sense that this might be his little sister, but now she was all serious and straightforward. None of that curious, excitable Padawan he’d seen visiting the temple on Coruscant. That was the last time the two had spoken since the Purge.

“N-no. I don’t think so. Was he the Jedi?”

“Yes.”

“Than maybe? I think he was going to the top of the origin tree.” Lirii sighed in relief. Now at least she knew where to look.

“Are you able to walk?” She asked.

Rai nodded, accepting her help in getting up on his feet. Though the pain on his face may have signified a sprain or tear. “Okay, I need a way of getting up there quickly. Is your gunship around?”

“Always asking questions.” Raishir joked. “But yes, before the Imps tagged me, I parked it over there, in a clearing. It was one of the only things we could keep after Saw left.”

The two walked slowly towards a tiny break in the foliage. Anyone who didn’t know exactly where to look would’ve never found it. Through the leaves and a hole in a tree trunk was a small Wookiee village, the gunship parked right in the middle. No one seemed to be at home, despite the new look of the buildings.

“What happened to the Wookiees?” Lirii asked again.

“They left. After the Imps started burning this part of the forest too, they decided it was only a matter of time before they found this place. Guess they were wrong.” Rai hopped into the cockpit of the ship, sliding an old clone pilot helmet over his head. His sister dismissed her resurfacing memories and climbed in.

~ ~ ~

Wind whistled through the gaps in the door’s seal, pinning a rather annoying piece of hair to Lirii’s face. She brushed it out of the way as best she could but to no avail, the damn thing didn’t want to move. Lirii sighed and tightened her grip on her saber and the gunship’s handlebar. Something in the air felt increasingly uneasy as the ship climbed to the base of the Origin Tree’s broad canopy, but she couldn’t place it. 

The mirialan took a steady breath, in and out, in and out. If anything else, she knew how to do that. A series of cracking branches signalled the end of their long ascent, a loud thrumming filled the air as the old engine struggled to hover at her drop off. Raishir said his goodbyes with a haphazard salute. Lirii nodded in reply, and gave her own salute back. Her attentive eyes watched his gunship lower through the thick canopy and she should’ve been relieved, but a heavy weight still clung to her chest like a parasite.

“Raishir!” She called. “Raishir hold on!”

He couldn’t hear her, of course. But the moment he noticed her arms waving for him to return, a massive assault of heavy blaster fire disabled his gunship. A TIE Reaper would make short work of any unshielded gunship, and one _that_ old was torn apart. Lirii screamed.

The Reaper moved off to a higher perch in a hurry, and the destroyed mirialan could hear more shots being fired. She ignited her glowing blade with a renewed fury for the inquisitor piloting that ship and began climbing.

Any pain in her wrist was nothing compared to the guilt wrapping around her heart like a python. It wasn’t fair, and she would make sure that the Ninth Sister would pay for it dearly. She grit her teeth and dug her hands into the mush of plant matter that led to the nearest plateau. Insects seemed to know better than swarm around her exposed skin, and the chorus of birds lowered to a faint rhythm in the background. The sights to behold around Lirii were seen through red blinders that stopped her from taking them in. Besides killing her brother, the Ninth Sister would be after Cal, by the force she could not lose him to the Empire. Her dignity and willpower was enough.

Loud creaks and snaps of branches echoed above Lirii’s head. A thick glob of mud spattered from above onto her sweat-stained face. She sneered and wiped the grime off her cheeks and nose. It smelled of bloodied earth. Mud was quickly becoming her least favourite thing.

 _Come on, worry about that later_. She told herself.

The lightsaber was far easier to carry once dangling from her belt, but not a few seconds of climbing passed until she laid a hand on the stone hilt to assure it was still there. A distant, aggressive conversation was heard just a few metres higher, on an assumed plateau. Lirii could make out the deep, gruff growl of the Ninth Sister and the angered, smoother voice of Cal.

Once she came to the edge of the plateau, a yell caught her attention just in time to reach out and save Cal from what would’ve been a long and terrifying fall. She adjusted the grip of her other hand with a groan before looking down into the similarly muddy face of her friend.

“Lirii?” His grey-green eyes were blown wide with surprise and adrenaline. BD-1 had many questioning beeps and trills when he saw her.

“No time, get back up there.” Lirii replied, finishing the climb with Cal. He pushed back the hulking form of the Dowutin inquisitor to give his partner a chance of igniting her saber at least.

“Ha! I guess Second Sister did lose you. She wouldn’t admit it, but she loves her pride.” Ninth said, twirling her massive guarded saber.

“You.” Lirii spat with as much venom as she could muster. Cal glanced to the side to see her face scrunched up in a snarl, baring sharp teeth at the massive inquisitor with not a shimmer of fear in her eyes, only hatred and absolute readiness to kill. To be honest, he was glad she was on his side. He’d only known Lirii as the friendly medic who sometimes sparred with him and would get really tired often, this side was one he had never imagined.

“How dare you shoot down my brother! How dare you hunt what were once your own kind!”

“What? The Jedi?” Ninth scoffed. “They deserved what they got, and your brother shouldn’t have gotten in my way. Oh, but what a treat it would be to bring you both in, I’m sure the Grand Inquisitor misses you, Eighth Sister.”

Lirii let out a downright animalistic yell, charging forward with her saber ready to strike. Cal wasn’t far behind after he processed what he saw. She parried the concussive blows of the inquisitor faster than she had in a long time, tapping into some moves she hadn’t had the opportunity of using for years. Cal pulled Lirii out of the way of a devastating hit to take a stab at the dowutin. She slid for a low blow at the inquisitor’s foot, which she kicked out in retaliation. The hit sent Lirii skidding across the twig-laden floor and stopped dangerously close to a fiery branch. Her chest heaved more with every passing minute, struggling to take in air through bruised lungs. Cal wasn’t in a much better situation, pinioned beneath the cybernetic foot of the Ninth Sister. Lirii took as deep a breath as she could and gathered her lightsaber in her scraped hand.

“Get off him!” She screamed, driving the bright green blade into the dowutin’s chest. It certainly got her attention long enough for the Padawan beneath her foot to scramble out and slice off the arm that would’ve cut Lirii right in half.

Ninth roared and grabbed the bloody stump where her wrist ended and her hand used to be. Lirii put a hand around Cal’s shoulders for a moment, exchanging questioning looks to check if each other were okay. Both were hurt, but living and able to breathe for the most part, but the inquisitor before them wasn’t done yet.

“Being an inquisitor thought me no setback is too great.” She slowly rose to her feet and Lirii’s grip grew tight on her lightsaber once more. “When you’ve already lost yourself, a limb’s easy.” Ninth gestured with her stump. “You know, I was a Jedi. It’d be fun to bring you in. Watch you crack like the rest of us!” Her hovering saber ignited behind them and rushed back to her hand.

“Just wait till the isolation, torture, mutilation! And your friends!” The Inquisitor force-pushed Lirii back again and locked her red blade with Cal’s.

“I won’t let you touch them!” He spat back while his friend lay exhausted and unconscious in the mud.

“You can’t stop the Empire!”

“I can stop you.” Cal said, jumping over the Ninth Sister and striking with his own blue blade right down her back. She wouldn’t have cared until he pushed her through a weak spot in the tangled branches behind.

 _“Beeep boop bwoop”_ BD said.

“Yeah, we just took down an inquisitor.” “ _Boop trill!”_ “Right, Lirii! Hey, you okay?” He knelt in the mud beside her, his companion droid offering a stim. The mirialan woke with a start, smacking away Cal’s worried hands, but he caught every blow.

“Hey it’s me, look, see? You’re okay. Shh. Are you okay though?” Lirii relaxed and let her arms slump at her sides with a huff. She carefully propped herself up to see Cal better, and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders. “Sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

“Hey, it’s ok. I should be the one apologizing, I was the one who left without you.”

She unraveled her arms and got up, accepting the help from Cal now that the cloud of adrenaline had passed and her chest was really hurting.

Out of the blue, a massive bird soared up to the nest. Lirii ignited her saber once more but was assured by Cal that it was on their side. The bird lowered its helmeted head down for Cal to pat, red eyes staring into the mirialan’s soul. Least that’s the first thing she thought of.

“What is that thing?” She asked, joining her friend’s side.

“It’s called the shyyyo bird. It helped me get up here and saved me from the Ninth Sister’s ship.” At the mention of the TIE reaper, Lirii felt a sharp pang in her chest but she would deal with it back on the ship.

“We’re not riding it, are we?” She took Cal’s hand to climb onto a large branch,

“Unless you want to climb down?”

“No, I don’t want to do that.” Lirii chuckled lightly. She climbed onto the feathered back of the shyyyo bird and held onto the fabric of Cal’s poncho. Her chest stung to breathe deeply, but she couldn’t help inhaling the sweet clear air of Kashyyyk’s skies. The Padawan looked back to see Lirii’s bruised, muddy bloodstained face drawn in a smile, only wincing when she breathed too hard.

“Not so bad up here, is it?” He asked.

“Not so bad at all. Thank you, Cal.” She rested her head against Cal’s back for what she thought would just be a moment and fell asleep. Once the bird landed, she woke up again, embarrassed at having fallen asleep so easily.

“Don’t worry, I could just about do the same.” Her friend said while helping her off the bird and into the mantis. Cere and Greez pummelled them both with questions about what happened and why they were so bloody, but both Lirii and Cal insisted they needed some rest and time to recover, so they eased of and brought the ship out of the thick atmosphere and into the cold, dark, sanctuary of space.

Lirii sat on Cal’s cot, changed into some more comfortable clothes (which included Cal’s borrowed rigging shirt) and prepped her medical supplies for any injuries that needed patching up then and there. BD was curious, as always, and recorded her procedures for later use.

She placed some mesh and sutures in some of the saber strikes Cal didn’t dodge, letting him squeeze her hand every time she poked with a needle. She didn’t like them much herself, so she understood.

“Cal can I talk to you in the morning? I need to get a couple things off my chest and I may get emotional so I thought I’d ask.” Lirii finished up with his injuries and moved onto her own.

“Yeah, of course. I’m here for you.” He gently placed his hand over hers, moving his thumb in tiny circles.

“Thank you.” She said with a yawn and heavy eyelids.

“You want to crash here? I don’t mind sleeping in another cot.”

“No, you can stay. That’d be nice.” Lirii claimed the cramped wall-side of the bed and pulled the sheets up, half asleep already.

“Ok.” Cal smiled softly, sliding in next to her and quickly slipping into a calm and nightmare-free sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading and for sticking with me throughout my hiatuses. Comments are greatly appreciated as well as kudos. Please tell me how I’m doing, it’s immensely motivating


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little bit shorter than the last, but I’ll make it up with an extra long one next time.

A rapping at the door woke Lirii from a rather comforting dream. Cal had left the bed and made sure to place the blanket over her shoulders.

“Hello?” She asked to the person opposite the door.

“Just me,” Cal peeked his head into the room. “Wanted to know if you wanted lunch.”

The mirialan wiped her eyes and tried to sit up. Many sharp pains in her chest and arms halted that. She hissed when she turned to lean against the wall, and Cal, with his almost never ending well of compassion quickly moved despite his pain to help her. 

“Honestly, I’m fine. Just some bruised ribs.” Lirii managed, coughing into her arm. “Oh. Ok maybe not.” She corrected at the sight of blood on her skin.

Cal paled. “I’ll go get Cere.”

“You don’t have…to.” Their medic replied. 

Within a few seconds both the ex-Jedi and their latero captain appeared at the door. Cere was as concerned as ever, fussing over asking repeatedly what the problems could be. “Did you puncture a lung? Can you tell me what happened?” She asked.

“I was kicked pretty hard in the chest, and there are a few saber grazes on my arms. That’s it. Nothing is too bad, I just need rest.” Lirii insisted.

Cere gave a prying look that made the girl shift in her seat.

“Ok and probably a concussion.” She added. “But seriously, nothing hurts too bad.”

BD-1 jumped up on the bed and gave Lirii a quick scan, chirping the fact that she did in fact have a concussion and one mostly collapsed lung.

Cal’s brow furrowed deeply. “You’re the medic, Lirii. What should we do?”

She sighed, placing a hand on her chest to ease the hurt. “Ah, well I can move to my own bed for a start, just gimme a moment..wha-?” Lirii was stopped by both the hands of Cere and Cal on her shoulders, stopping her where she was.

“No, you’re staying here, where you can rest.” The ex-Jedi said.

“But Cal needs rest too, and I don’t want to usurp his bed.” She replied.

“Trust me, it’s fine. I can sit at my workbench.” Cal added.

Lirii’s face grew hot with the embarrassment of being stuck in her crewmate’s bed after spending the night. She knew there was nothing between them, but the amount of sappy holofilms she’d seen or heard of in her time running had many situations similar to this one. Greez moved to check the trajectory of the ship and Cere followed the short list of instructions Lirii gave. First and foremost was rest, then some form of lunch. Today’s menu was a small omelette and some fruit from Lothal. And finally, some Empire-grade bacta in a long needle. Oh she did hate these. Eventually Cere joined the captain up front.

Cal rolled his chair over to his workbench to tinker with his lightsaber while Lirii found a suitable spot to stick herself with the hypo. Then there she sat, tucked into Cal Kestis’ cot with only it’s owner’s low humming to break the silence. Wasn’t long before she slipped into unconsciousness.

“Dinner’s ready!” Greez’s yell jolted Lirii out of her sleep. She took a deep breath with some less pain than before. And another, hand over her sternum as if to hold it in place.

“Coming!” Lirii replied. It seemed Cal had already gone out to sit at the table, and his droid was at the opening of the door.

“Bweep bop trill.” BD said.

“Oh, lovely. Scazz steaks are good.” She said, watching the droid scamper away to wherever the crew were. “As long as he hasn’t put that much salt on them.”

It hurt decently to breathe, and walk, and move, but Lirii had to move or else she would feel horrible about sleeping in someone else’s bed all day. Least she could do is let Cal sleep in his own room by himself.

She let out a long exhale, digging the grazed palms of her hands into her eyes when exiting the room. _Damn, I really did sleep with him, didn’t I?_ She thought. _No, no not like that._ As if someone could ever hear her thoughts.

Any warmth brought to her cheeks by that thought was quickly washed away as her memory of the previous day returned, and the memory of how her brother was killed. Oh well, she’d talk to someone about it later.

“Finally!” Greez exclaimed when she entered the kitchenette. Lirii and Cere shot him disdainful glances as she limped over to her seat at the table.

“Good to see you’re feeling better, Lirii.” Cere said. Lirii didn’t reply, but nodded with a poorly crafted smile. Cal made a motion to help her but she waved him off and grabbed a plate of food. “So, did you find your Wookiee?” The captain continued.

“Yep. But things are bad down there, Empire’s everywhere.” Cal replied, poking at some fluffy blue plant matter on his plate. Apparently he and the rest of the crew hadn’t spoken much since he got back, even in the hour or so Lirii was asleep.

“Any inquisitors?” The ex-Jedi asked.

“Well, Trilla.” Their medic paused her mouthful of food for a moment, as well as everyone else. Cal looked quickly at everyone who was looking right back at him and corrected himself. “The Second Sister, is gone for now but she’s still chasing us. I defeated the Ninth Sister-” Most of the other crew were happily surprised. “-with Lirii’s help. I would’ve died without her.”

The mirialan smiled, her downcast eyes flicked up for a moment before returning to her plate. Just as everyone else was about to eat, Cere spoke again, having not even touched her food.

“Cal, when I was captured by the Empire, I resisted.” The Padawan let his fork clang onto the table, leaning back with a very annoyed look on his face. “I swore to myself that I would die before I would talk. But then this…dark shadow came and he was worse than any nightmare I could’ve imagined. And I still fought.” Cal pushed his untouched plate away, fixing his gaze on some blinking button on a far wall of the ship. “But in the end I came apart, and I gave them Trilla.”

Lirii furrowed her brow. This didn’t seem like the time or the place to have this conversation but here they were.

“And I know there’s nothing I can do to make that right, but Cal, there still a chance we could save the others on the holocron.”

Cal sighed heavily. “Ok, look. The Ninth Sister said something about becoming an inquisitor, like... Like it’s inevitable. But you went through the same thing she did, and you didn’t join them.” His gaze met Lirii’s for half a second before turning back.

“Cal..” Cere started.

“It’s ok, Cere.” He left his plate and stood. “We’ll find Cordova’s holocron.” Cal stated and returned to his room.

The rest of the crew finished their meal in silence, Lirii being the last to move from the table and the one with the least to eat. Cere took notice but didn’t say anything for fear of further upsetting the mood. Dathomir was next on the raster and no one was very excited to return.

Lirii found a seat on the rounded couch, chatting quietly with BD-1 while the adults were silent in the cockpit.

“Beep-be-beep. Trill chirp?” The little droid chirped.

“Yeah, I’ll be ok. Just a lot going on right now.” She replied.

“Bwoop. Beep bop beeep.”

“Oh? That’s nice to hear.” Lirii said with a sad smile on her face. “Glad he does. Tell him I appreciate him too sometime. But not right now!” She added once BD began to run off. “Though could you ask Cal if it’s ok that I come talk to him?”

BD gave a curt nod and hopped off into Cal’s room, where he ran into the Padawan leaving.

“Hey little guy,” BD interrupted with a series of fast beeps. “Lirii? You wanted to talk to me?” His voice was a little on-edge, almost irritated.

The mirialan took this information into account when she simply stated. “No, later.” BD gave a questioning chirp as he hopped onto the back of the couch. Lirii eyed Cal carefully, offering an apologetic look before heading into the front of the ship. He surprised most of them by taking his seat in the cockpit as well.

“Cere, can I ask a favour?” Lirii asked, replacing her content mask after it had failed her at dinner.

The ex-Jedi glanced at a chrono on her wrist. “Depends on what it is, I’m going to head to bed soon before we reach Dathomir tomorrow.”

“Ok. Well I don’t know, then. How long does it take to slice into a comlink on Coruscant?”

The whole crew turned in their seats to look incredulously at Lirii.

“What did you say?” Greez asked from the captain’s chair.

“I need to speak to someone on Coruscant.”

“Ok, that’s what I thought you said. And I’m going to say no, because we don’t need you having a chat with any of your imperial buddies and handing them coordinates.”

Cere opened her mouth to offer a rebuttal but it was overlapped by the slightly wavering voice of Lirii.

“I’m not!” She huffed. “I’m not “chatting to any of my imperial buddies”, I don’t have any of those. I wanted to- wanted to speak with my sister. She lives on the top level and owns a bar.”

Cal made brief eye contact with Lirii, slight worry creasing his brow upon seeing tears in her eyes.

“Please?” She finally said.

Cere sighed. “Ok, I’ll see what I can do. Might not be until tomorrow that I can cover our tracks though, is that okay? Lirii?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.” The mirialan went to sit on the couch, passing the time by inspecting her lightsaber. Feeling each carved, polished line and ridge in what was otherwise roughly chopped stone. She scraped some mud out of some of the indents and polished the metal pommel and ignition with her jacket. She was so infatuated with her minute inspection that she didn’t hear or see Cal taking a seat beside her.

“Cere’s worried about you.” He began, startling his crewmate a little.

“Why?” Lirii replied. She set her saber on the table before them, joining her hands together.

“She says you don’t tell her anything. And you said you’d talk to me, too.”

The girl scratched at a dry scab on her face. “I know. I didn’t say anything to Cere because I thought she’d be upset after we dealt with the Second Sister. And nothing to you because you seemed to be in a mood. I know I’m in a mood, but I try not to be. Can you tell Cere that I’ll talk to her once we land?”

Cal nodded and delivered Lirii’s message to Cere. The ex-Jedi looked back at her for a moment to back at the Padawan. She said something like “thank you” and Cal resumed his seat next to their medic. Eventually Cere set her headset down on the console and went to bed, offering the kids on the couch an attempted smile in passing. Greez always went to bed later, after making sure that the course was definitely set and no one would mess with it.

“My brother’s dead.” Lirii said finally. Cal gasped slightly. He had thought he heard something about a brother yesterday, but couldn’t figure out really what she was talking about

“I’m- I’m very sorry.” He replied.

“Don’t be, it happens. I suppose.” Followed by silence as Cal thought of what to say. Lirii sniffled but was keeping her tears at bay. She flinched at the feeling of a warm hand over hers and played it off as a shaky breath. Her gaze fixed on the freckled hand on top of her own, taking her time processing the empathetic gesture and look on it’s owners face. Lirii sighed and placed her other hand over his. “I will make them pay for what they’ve done to me, to all of us.” She said with a hardened resolve.

Cal nodded and stood, extending his hand for Lirii to take. “We will, together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always lovely


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra long chapter this time!   
> Once again, I value all of your comment and kudos, they really make my week  
> Enjoy!

Dathomir was fast approaching when Cal awoke, lagging behind as the last to get out of bed. Lirii had only slept a few hours but was ready for the day ahead, busily checking settings, meters and trajectories from his stolen seat up front. She managed a slight “morning” when she heard him reach for his canteen on the kitchen counter. He replied in a similar tired fashion, a yawn muddling his words.

BD popped up from the couch and onto Cal’s shoulder, inspecting what his adventuring buddy was doing.

“Shh, you’ll blow my cover.” He half joked to the droid while stealing some leftovers in the fridge.

“Those better not be mine you’re eating!” Greez called from the captain’s chair. Cal scooped a heap of vegetables into his mouth and walked into the doorway of the cockpit.

“How far along are we?” He asked with another mouthful of food.

“Twenty minutes.” Greez replied. “So you might want to get dressed.” He gestured to the t-shirt and loose pants the Padawan was wearing. Cal nodded and tried to catch Lirii’s eyes, which he did, only for a moment before she returned to her busy scanning. He set the bowl of food where it was in the fridge and went to change into what seemed like a new set of rigging gear he found on his desk.

It looked like his regular outfit but mended with stitches that matched the ones keeping every one of his cuts together. He let out a small chuckle and put it on. Felt brand new, and the saber strikes had blended into the rest of the fabric like they’d never happened.

BD made an approving trill of the stitch work and ran to the front of the ship to tell the person who’d done it. Lirii smiled and thanked the little droid. The Padawan thanked her as well once he returned, to which she explained it was in the laundry she did the night before and wasn’t going to be much protection if it was falling apart.

“Dathomir approaching in three minutes! Get to your proper seats, kids.” The captain announced over the P.A. system. Lirii excused herself from Cal’s seat and strapped into her own for the descent.

“Landing pad clear.” Cal stated, taking over the scanners.

“Better be.” Greez grumbled.

The Mantis whistled and hummed as it landed, pulling onto the same red plateau as before. A scattering of rocks were sent flying by the starship’s engine, scaring a flock of small bats that spooked Greez. Cere suppressed a laugh at his frightened face. Cal had said goodbye and taken everyone’s well-wishes as he and BD trotted back into the russet barren cliffs of Dathomir.

Lirii tapped her nails on the desk in front of her, staring deep in thought. Once she finally decided, she went to her room to gather a hair tie and some tough gloves.

“Now where are you going?” Cere asked before the mirialan could walk through the open door after Cal.

“Out. For a walk.”

Greez scoffed. “A walk? On Dathomir, alone? No thank you.”

“I won’t go far, just wanted to explore a bit. Cal’s gone ahead and probably disabled anything in the way already.”

Cere turned completely around in her chair sighing as she pressed a remote button to close the door. “We need to talk.”

The mirialan huffed. Talking right now was not at the forefront of her thoughts but she did say she would talk to the ex-Jedi today, and maybe it would help get some more things off her chest before she inevitably snuck out for her walk. Lirii nodded and followed Cere to the kitchen table, a domestic interrogation chamber if there ever was one.

“So.” Began Cere. “Lirii, I’m worried about you. I heard they way you were talking to Cal last night and I want to say that I am really sorry for your loss, but-”

“Oh, why does there always have to be a “but” at the end of compassion?” Lirii mumbled.

“-but you shouldn’t focus on revenge, or else it might consume you. I know it’s been difficult these past few weeks.”

Lirii ran a hand through her hair and set it down on the table just hard enough to make a noticeable sound. “We defeated the Ninth Sister, she was the first inquisitor I’ve ever killed. Maybe it felt good because I avenged the death of my brother, but now it’s more like I’ve killed that part of my past. Taking down the Empire would just be so much better.”

Cere fell into silence to think about what had just been said. It was true that the whole point of their mission was, in the end, to dismember the Empire and drive it into the ground. Though, what would the cost be? Another one of her adopted Padawans?

“I understand that, trust me, I do. Sometimes it’s best to let these things go. Before you say anything,” she said in response to Lirii’s open mouth and furrowed brow, “yes, you had to do what you did for self defence. All I’m asking is that you don’t revel in your revenge to cover your grief.”

“I barely knew my brother, so there’s nothing much to grieve.” Lirii countered. “Last I saw of him was on the steps of the Temple on Coruscant, waving from beyond the gate with my little sister in tow. They wouldn’t let me go hug them or my parents. Can still remember they stuck their arms through the grates but the guards wouldn’t let them even come close enough to see my lightsabers. After that, well, you know.”

“Ok. I’m sorry.” Cere replied.

Lirii nodded, waving her hand in a blasé fashion.

Greez awkwardly excused himself to get some leftovers, clearly marked with bright tape. Not that anyone would touch them after the obscene amount of seasoning he laced it with. He offered a bowl to the women at the table only to be met with a polite “no” and a shake of the head. The Captain put the remaining food back and found his seat in his room, away from any glass that could expose him to the danger of Dathomir. 

“Oh, and I couldn’t manage to find a solid connection to Coruscant from here, not one that would be safe to use anyway.”

Lirii closed her eyes in a feeble attempt to dispel the headache blooming on her temple. “It’s okay, we can try again when we’re closer to the core worlds. Bound to be one near Kashyyyk, what with all the destroyers there.” She got up from her seat and put on the kettle to boil. Right now tea seemed one of the best things to calm tightened nerves. “Want a cup?” She asked.

“Sure.” Cere replied, moving to a more comfortable place on the couch.

Just as Lirii was about to take her hair down and settle in for some meditation, the pressurized hiss of the door opening signalled a possibly unwanted entry to the ship. Thankfully, it was just Cal, who was very out of breath and sweating bullets when he returned.

“Back so soon?” Cere was the first to question.

“Forgot water.” He panted. “And my comlink.”

“What, did you run all the way here?” Lirii asked with light laughter in her voice, the sight of their Padawan already raising her spirits.

“Yeah, actually. Heh, need something to drink out there.”

BD scuttled over to the mirialan in the kitchen, not hesitating to jump onto her back from her outstretched arm. She picked him up with some playful objections from the little droid, inspecting the chipped paint and remaining stim canisters.

“One, two, three…huh?” Lirii counted, eyebrows knit together as she checked again. “One, two, three. Cal?” He lifted his gaze from the water bottle with a look on his face of someone who’d been caught in an act. “Yeah?”

“I thought I gave you 5 extra stims. Why are there only three?”

“They just got…lost.”

Lirii put a hand on her hip with a disbelieving face. “Lost?”

BD interrupted, saying something about Nightbrothers and some large spiders, while Cal tried to shush him from a few feet away.

“It’s not a big deal, really. I was going to ask you for some extra anyway.”

She didn’t believe him. “Don’t you move.” Lirii said, still with Cal’s adventuring companion clinging onto her back. In no time at all she’d put together a small rucksack full of medical supplies and rations, slung over her back and careful not to hit BD. “I’m coming with you.”

Cere looked displeased, and Cal slightly amused. “What about your lungs? Are you ok to run around?” He asked.

She took an experimental breath and felt only a slight tension, but far better than before. Though she hated to admit it, there really was nothing better in the galaxy than a treatment of High Imperial-grade bacta. “I’ll be ok. Besides, I think BD-1 wants me to go.” BD trilled affirmatively.

“Alright, come on then!” Cal leaned out the door and waited by the ramp. As Lirii followed, she caught the gaze of Cere, who wished her well and gestured for her to go before it got dark.

As the two climbed up to the plateau they’d seen before, Lirii spotted the slumped over body of a nydak leaning heavily on a rock wall. She ignited her emerald saber, moving her feet into an aggressive stance.

“Easy, Lirii. It’s dead.” Cal chuckled.

“Sorry, can never be too careful.” She replied, following in behind her companion’s lead. Her lightsaber never left her hand until she needed it to, too many things that could go wrong on this planet to be casual about this adventure. A cave mouth, carved with runes beyond age, yawned at the top of a hill, dimly lit and getting darker with every passing minute. Nightbrother corpses were scattered on the floor, some illuminated in a wispy wreath of green.

“They’re dead too, right?” Lirii made sure to ask before approaching.

“Pretty sure.”

She leaned down to let BD scan the hulking warrior, and waved the green aura away as if it were nothing more than mist. Touching it sent a shiver down her spine and she quickly returned to Cal, patiently waiting for her to explore what she wanted to. He force-pulled a dangling rope to his hand and held it out.

“Do you want to go first?”

Lirii’s eyes grew wide as she looked to the crevasse before her, and the other tiny rope she’d have to catch to cross it. Sure, she knew a whole lot of tricks when it came to using the force, but she’d not done something like this in a long while. “I could try…” She replied cautiously, wrapping the rough cord in her hand.

“Alright, just swing out as far as you can and jump when you’re close to the second rope. Can you use force pull?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, that helps if you make a mistake.”

BD glanced from the nervous mirialan already holding on for dear life and back to his normal companion who’d done this a few times. He jumped off the former’s back and onto Cal’s.

Lirii took a deep breath and jumped from the edge of the fault, trying not to make any yelps that would further compromise her level of fear in what she was doing. She did, only when jumping for the next rope, and Cal snickered. He had full faith in her that she would be able to make the leap, and when she landed on the other side (albeit rolled in dust). It took no time at all for the Padawan to join her on the other side.

“You make that look easy.” Cal complemented.

“Oh, shut up.” Lirii threw a feigned punch at his shoulder, coughing the red dust out of her mouth.

“Honestly, way better than when I first tried.”

“Cal, you’re too nice.”

Cal smiled and at that point was partially glad his pale face was burnt by the sun, so now there was no difference in the blush that crept up his cheeks.

Neither Cal nor Lirii had ventured quite this far into Dathomir before. The first time they’d been here Lirii set off in an opposite direction and wandered into a Nightbrother camp, and Cal had met the resident Nightsister and quickly left. He had managed to unlock a convenient shortcut that sped up their progress before it was halted by the setting sun.

The tomb lay on the other side of a stone bridge, the dark metal accents gleaming in the fiery sun descending past ragged cliffs. The Padawan lent a hand up a slab of the same rock, covered in scratching vines that helped make it traversable.

Lirii was about to comment that they should make camp soon when a skulking figure spoke from the corner of the platform.

“Oh, fellow wanderers!” He said in a too-surprised way for her liking. She took a defensive stance next to Cal, keeping her distance. “I saw you met the resident nightsister.” He gestured to the Padawan. “But unlike most, you’re alive. Haven’t noticed your companion there, but- ooh, lightsabers. No, don’t hide them, it would explain why you survived.”

“Who are you?” Lirii demanded, holding her saber in her hand but never igniting it.

“Don’t- no one to fear. Just a..traveller. Studying the extinct cultures and dead philosophies of the galaxy.”

“You study the nightsisters?” The Padawan asked.

The Wanderer leaned in to whisper. “I study many things…but yes that Nightsister,” he shivered, “she was only a child when the war came to this world. Had to watch her whole family perish.”

Lirii took a heavy breath, creeped out and currently resisting a strange instinct to further herself from this vagabond as much as she could. “Lovely. Well, we’d better be going now before it gets dark-” “Lirii, he could tell us more about the tomb.” She took a hold of Cal’s arm and pulled him to the other side of the rock platform. “Cal, I seriously have a bad feeling about this, can we just go find a safe place to camp?”

“Your friend doesn’t trust me.” The wanderer laughed, sounding hollow and dry when he did. Both glanced at him but said nothing in response.

“Look, I’ll get some info on the ruins, you can watch my back.”

“Fine, but be quick.” Lirii conceded.

Cal returned to questioning about their actual destination, to be received with more haunting warnings and chilling words about how the Nightbrothers and Sisters were seduced by a power inside the ancient ruins. Soon enough, after an extra warning to avoid the ruin, he gestured for Lirii to follow. She cast a prying and accusatory gaze at the dark-cloaked traveller, who’s own eyes made her feel freezing, even in the sun that broiled as it set.

Massive gaps in the bridge lay ahead. Of course her partner could cross them without a hitch. Seemed he’d recovered a new ability to force jump, but she’d probably need some reminding of how to do that again and now was _not_ the time for a lesson. They would’ve waited until they reached the tomb to speak, when a bolt from an energy bow nearly struck BD off Cal’s shoulder. Lirii ignited her saber just in time to deflect another back to the archer that fired it. He fell off the side of the bridge with a sound like a strangled lothcat. She disarmed another Nightbrother with a quick swipe of her saber, kicking him off the edge when he tried to retaliate. Cal wasn’t doing too bad either, clearly taking some of her advice to heart after the ordeal with the Second Sister. He’d finished the last one off before she could get to it.

“Nice work.” Lirii commented.

“Thanks. That wall is going to be tough to climb.”

“Yeah, not without equipment at least.” The mirialan clipped her saber to her belt and felt the ridges of the hot stone. Until she heard the scraping of rock against rock and looked up in time to see a Nightbrother lifting a boulder and preparing to throw. Cal grabbed her arm in a feeble attempt to pull them both away, but it was too late.

It crashed through the wooden boards at their feet, sending them falling onto a steep muddy valley.

“Oh shit-”

“Jump!” Cal interrupted at the sight of a looming precipice that was coming towards them faster than they could think. Lirii jumped, knuckles white with how hard she was holding onto her companion’s forearm. “Ok, lean so we don’t fall off!”

She could barely hear him, but she got the point. No one wanted to die by fallen on this forsaken planet. Another hole in the path approached and they both leaped to clear it, tumbling through the mud and dust to a complete stop on more solid ground.

Cal and Lirii lay in the same spot for a few seconds, taking deep breaths to calm the adrenaline rushing through their veins.

“Whew. We’re alive!” Lirii said, sitting up and coughing the taste of dust from her mouth.

“That was scary.” Cal replied, BD agreed from his back.

“No kidding, I didn’t think I’d make it past that slide, and now I’m covered in mud again.” She began taking a tarp out of her bag and setting up a haphazard camp, occasionally trying to scrape the dirt out of her jacket.

“You’ll get used to it. Do you by chance have any food on you?”

“Yeah, here you go.” She tossed a ration bar at him, which he just barely caught. So much for Jedi reflexes. “Let me finish this shelter then we need to talk about what just happened.”

Cal agreed and sat cross-legged on the stone floor while Lirii put the final tether in place. She didn’t take too long to set up a fire and sit beside him, producing another bar from her pack to eat.

“Alright, so what was with that traveller up there?” Lirii began.

“I honestly don’t have a clue. He didn’t seem too dangerous, just old and creepy like everything here.” Cal replied.

“I don’t know. Don’t like how he seemed so casual, on Dathomir of all places. And he couldn’t have warned us about the Nightbrothers at the end of the bridge?”

It was true that the warriors had been only a few feet from the man, and definitely within earshot. “If it makes it any better, I don’t trust him either. Gave me a weird feeling too.”

“This is probably ridiculous, but he felt like an inquisitor? Not actually, but I felt really cold around him, and that’s what happens when I met the Second and the Ninth Sister.”

“We should definitely be careful.” Cal finished his ration bar with a yawn. “We should get some sleep before moving on.”

“You go, there’s a sleeping bag in there. I’m going to keep watch for a few hours.” Lirii said.

“You sure? It’s getting cold.”

“I’m sure, get some rest. I have a feeling you’ll need it.” She insisted.

“So will you, but ok. Keep watch with her BD.” He told the little droid, who hopped over to Lirii’s side. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Cal.”

Once the Padawan went to bed and was assuredly asleep, Lirii rose to her feet and walked around the campsite, poking in every nook and cranny to make sure there were no giant spiders or any other creatures waiting for the cover of darkness to strike. Nothing around here, but Dathomir definitely became more alive at night. A swamp that she’d noticed before sprawled out under the cliff she stood on, the whole thing croaking and roaring in the night. Something periodically squawked from a nearby cave, and was silenced by the distant chatter of a Nightbrother camp.

Lirii didn’t have a good feeling at all about this trip, but she wasn’t about to worry her companion with it either, so she sat on the edge of their camp and waited for something to happen. Until morning, nothing did.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Jedi are thieves and selfish liars who bring nothing but death!”  
> “Back off.” Cal said. “If you attack me again, I’ll strike you down.” Lirii glanced at her companion, she’d never been out with him on a mission before but this boldness was something she hadn’t actually seen. If it weren’t for the angry Nightsister, she might have had time to be impressed.  
> “Oh I won’t do a thing.” The Sister gathered more green light in her hands, swirling it into a larger orb above her head. “But my murdered sisters…” the fleshy pods that they hadn’t noticed earlier suddenly jolted and cracked with the green mist that surrounded them. “…they will have their revenge!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, some descriptions of violence that involve someone being impaled, so heed the tags.  
> Otherwise, enjoy this little bit longer chapter!

BD was rather concerned about the fact Lirii had barely lay down for an hour’s sleep, and kept telling her that she should go to bed. With visible bags under her eyes and a sluggish speech about how it was important that she keep watch, she assured him that it was fine she stay up the whole night. By morning, the mirialan had passed out next to a smouldering fire, still warm with wisps of smoke that rose into the burning dawn.

“Lirii. Lirii!” Cal gently shook her shoulder to stir the mirialan from her sleep.Lirii sat up and rubbed her bleary eyes, a crick in her neck from the rough stone her exhaustion had decided was better than her sleeping bag.  
“What- oh, did I fall asleep? Sorry.” She looked up at the Padawan who’d apparently packed his warmest poncho to sleep in.

“You didn’t wake me up for lookout.” He replied.

“I got it, all good.” Lirii yawned. “Besides you need more sleep than I do.”

Cal didn’t seem convinced, looking at the spot beside the fire she’d used for a bed. “If you didn’t want to sleep in the same tent as me, you could’ve just said.” He joked, sitting by the dying campfire.

“No, no. I would’ve loved to, but I wasn’t-“ she yawned again, “tired. Sorry. How about we get some breakfast and then we can continue? 

“Couldn’t say no to a nice fresh ration bar.”

“Alright, sounds good.” 

Cal moved to grab two of the chewy, sweet bars out of the bag Lirii brought. His hand slid past something that caught his attention, as a single jogun fruit was brought in a round container to avoid crushing. He smirked, tossing the fruit in his hand as he handed the bar to his tired friend and began peeling the purple skin off his breakfast. Took Lirii half of her ration bar to notice Cal having a hard time.

“Is that a jogun fruit? The one I brought?”

“Yes…” Cal replied.

“Are you going to be sharing that fruit that I brought and payed for?” She asked with a rhetorical lilt.

He looked to the fruit and Lirii, and back to the fruit. He sighed and handed the whole jogun to the one it belonged to. She peeled the rest of it and split it in half, placing one side back on Cal’s lap.

“No, you can have it! I’m good with this.” He put the halved fruit back into Lirii’s hand.

“Cal, don’t be an idiot. You can have half.” She returned the favour.

“No, you.” Cal replied.

“I’m not going to argue here, Cal Kestis. You eat that half or I will make you.”

“I’d like to see you try.” He snarked back with a stupid smirk on his lips.

She rolled her eyes and popped a slice of fruit into her mouth. “Maybe some other time. We should get moving before it gets too hot.” Lirii looked into the rising sun, painting her face a light orange.

“Alright, I’ll pack up. Come on, BD.” The little droid skittered over to help disassemble the campsite. Lirii went far behind, making everything as small as possible before shoving it haphazardly into her rucksack. “Do you want me to carry that? You look tired.”

Lirii opened her mouth to object but his face was too kind. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds, and rejecting his offer might mean clumsily dying.

“Sure, thanks.”

“No problem.”

Cal took the lead, climbing up the contrasting bright blue vines that grew across the stone. Each felt strangely alive, and with a rough flesh-like texture that was unsettling to the touch. They reached a higher platform and Lirii groaned her displeasure at the frayed rope in front of them, no doubt the only way up to their destination. She went first as per Cal’s suggestion, that way he could “catch her if she fell” which was unlikely but she appreciated his support. The Padawan was quick to follow and checked if she was ok when she leaned on a wall for a moment. She was.

A fork in the path lay ahead, one side that was packed with dozing spiders, and other small corridor that could only be crawled through. In their current situation, the crawl space seemed far more inviting. Cal went through first, readying his lightsaber for anything that could be waiting on the other side. Lirii squeezed in behind, holding her own weapon for defence when the atmosphere shifted.

A coalition of neon green tendrils gathered together to form a bright flame of the same colour. Out of it stepped a woman in scarlet robes, embossed with a deep red leather and gold jewelry that glimmered in the blood-red sun.

“You will go no further!” Her accented voice rang loud and clear in the courtyard where Cal and Lirii ignited their weapons.

Cal stepped forward. _This must be that Nightsister,_ Lirii thought. “Stand aside!”

“No!” The Nightsister challenged. “He was right about you.”

The two were confused, both saying “who? what?” at the same time.

“Jedi are thieves and selfish liars who bring nothing but death!”

“Back off.” Cal said. “If you attack me again, I’ll strike you down.” Lirii glanced at her companion, she’d never been out with him on a mission before but this boldness was something she hadn’t actually seen. If it weren’t for the angry Nightsister, she might have had time to be impressed.

“Oh I won’t do a thing.” The Sister gathered more green light in her hands, swirling it into a larger orb above her head. “But my murdered sisters…” the fleshy pods that they hadn’t noticed earlier suddenly jolted and cracked with the green mist that surrounded them. “…they will have their revenge!” The living Nightsister vanished in a cloud of her own magick, while the burial pods split open. The clearing filled with an infernal shrieking. Three undead witches spilled out of their graves, clawing themselves off the ground and scrambling for the first living being they could tear apart.

Lirii hissed and cried out as one dodged her first strike, jumping to sink unbelievably sharp talons into her left arm. It bit through the jacket she was wearing and tore a strip of flesh from the forearm. That one didn’t survive long enough to try for more, as she drove the blade of her lightsaber through it’s dead skull.

Cal rolled out of the way and sliced another dead Nightsister in two, leaving Lirii to deliver a roundhouse kick that knocked the last one to the ground for her to decapitate. She was quick to pull off the now tattered jacket and clean up the mess of her forearm once the threat was disposed of. Her friend not far behind to make sure that the wound wouldn’t kill her.

It bled through her undershirt and onto Cal’s hand when she asked if he could hold a bandage on. Lirii apologized through the pain, even though he assured that the sight of blood was nothing to him. She managed to clean it up quickly, wrapping it in a bacta compress that she could only hope would still the flow of blood.

“That was scary.” Cal admitted. “Is your arm going to be okay?” He washed the deep crimson off his hands with water from his canteen.

“It was. I think so, thanks for your help.” Lirii replied, testing how much she could move it with the bandage on.

“You’re welcome. If you do need to take a break, we can, alright?”

She smiled, placing her good hand on his shoulder. “Okay. I’ll let you know. For now, let’s keep moving.” She took a sip from her water bottle and continued behind Cal.

He led them across another deep crack and into a tower on its side. From ahead, Lirii could hear the stirring of the burial pods just in time.

“More undead!” She warned, determined to not miss a second time. The first reanimated Nightsister jumped through the air and into Lirii’s waiting blade. Cal took care of the second, and BD trilled excitedly when their bodies crumpled to the floor in dust. One more, and a spider awaited them after a short climb up the far end of the hall.

Cal stopped Lirii with an arm outstretched, just in time to see the vanishing silhouette of the living Nightsister. _Leave this place._ Her voice echoed in their heads, less angry than before.

“That witch, I don’t think she really means to kill us.” Lirii said once the Nightsister had completely disappeared.

“Really? Even after the undead?” Cal looked shocked, as did his droid.

“I’ve heard about what these Nightsisters could do. I think if she really wanted us dead, she’d do it herself. Seems like she just wants us gone.”

The Padawan helped her balance on a narrow walkway. “Maybe, wouldn’t want to get her that angry.”

“Well we’re doing that by continuing on.”

“You want to turn back?” Cal squeezed tighter onto Lirii’s hand to steady himself, stepping off the boards into a hall.

“No, but let’s keep an eye out for her-Ah!” From a darkened corner, another raised dead raked too-sharp nails along her shoulder, but she was able to turn just in time to avoid major damage. Two more ganged up on Cal, one Lirii pulled over to take a stab at after her own attacker was dead.

 _You will pay for their deaths!_ The Nightsister was hidden this time, but there was no denying her presence as two more undead flew over a gap in the floor towards them. One knocked Cal down and resisted the lightsaber swipes Lirii took. Eventually she force-pushed the zombie off him, and it collided with the nearby wall. Her companion was just in time to skewer the other undead and let it drop to the floor below. Damn things were too fast for the team to avoid some injury, signified by the matching red that bloomed in lines across any exposed skin. Not fatal by any stretch of the imagination, but Lirii supposed that wasn’t the point. This resident wanted them to leave, not perish, and what better way to do that then disable them both? One Jedi is still enough to do damage.

Every small cut burnt and stung as the two trekked on, more alert with a taut silence hanging between them. Only occasionally broken at the shrill of some probably hostile fauna, or when one stopped starkly in their tracks to point to a spark of green suddenly fading away, distant yet creepily close.

“Any ideas on how that Nightsister keeps following us?” Lirii asked, getting bored of the eerie quiet.

“Cere called them force-wielders, but I’ve never seen it used this way before. Better stay on our toes.”

“Good thing we already are.” She replied, grabbing onto Cal’s offered hand to cross another thick outstretched vine. She inched her way along, careful not to bump into the person leading. That fall would be long and terrifying, the mirialan shuddered just thinking about it.

From out of the blue, a cacophony of wing beats sounded across the far spread swamps so far below, matching the intensity and bass of war-drums. Lirii startled, watching with wide eyes at the massive bat, largest creature she’d ever seen, soared away behind more red cliffs.

“Any idea what that flying thing is?” Cal asked, nonchalant once they crossed the divide.

“Don’t know. Could be a giant bat?” Lirii joked, using a pocket binocular to gaze over where it’s flight path could’ve taken it. A cave mouth, small enough that no one would think a creature of that size could use as a lair, ejected a spattering of rocks. She could only assume that’s where it went. Satisfied, she collapsed her tool with a concise snap and replaced it on her belt.

“That’s for sure. Water?” Cal offered.

Lirii smiled and took a reserved sip out of the canteen, handing it back to Cal who in turn took a drink. “I do have my own water bottle, you know?”

“I know, but if we ration them both out we won’t die of thirst.”

The mirialan laughed to herself, that was a tactic that the paired Padawans would use on desert planets as far as she could recall. “Good idea.” Was all she said despite the warm memories Cal’s quote had invoked. 

“Be-beep.” BD said, hopping right off Cal’s shoulder and running to a painted wall. Smeared in oranges, blacks and whites, the glyphs were recognized by one of the group.

“BD stop!” Lirii hissed, dropping into a crouch behind the nearby wall. “Come on over here little buddy, you too Cal.” She gestured intently with her hand, holding the others close to the paintings while she peeked around the corner.

“What?”

“Shh!” Lirii whispered. “Listen..”

He listened carefully, now able to hear the loud and violent conversation happening in the Nightbrother camp round the bend. “There’s four around a fire, ‘bout ten feet from here. You want to plan or just go for it?”

“Do you have a plan?” Cal replied.

“No but- BD stop that!” She raised her voice at the droid who was caught re-scanning the glyphs with his bright blue light, he managed a weak beep of apology behind Cal’s shoulder. “Ok, I’ll go first, distract them. You try and either push or pull them off the edge, got it? I’m not trying to waste energy right now, you want to get to that tomb today, we have to get going.” Her eyes found the cardinal sun rising high above the dark caves they were about to enter, and flicked to the shimmer of flame around the corner.

“Okay.” Cal replied.

Lirii stalked forward, mirroring the stance of a great predatory cat. Silent on her feet and with a focus so sharp you’d be cut trying to break it. Literally, if the focus was dire. She kept to the stark shadows cast by the flames and found a rock to take a moment and breathe.

Lirii gathered together enough energy to force push something and aimed for the fire the Nightbrothers sat around. It’s crackling embers flew into the two unlucky ones sitting opposite her hiding place. They shrieked in pain, hands clinging to their smouldering faces as they tried desperately to claw the glowing ash from their eyes.

 _Bit brutal_ , a voice said in the back of Lirii’s head. She waved it out of the way, not affording any time for the injured to call others of their kind in. The tunnels that entered this cave could be completely full of them, and the last thing they needed now was to be killed, that would put an end to their mission right quick.

Cal shot forward to one of the burned reaching for his weapon, sending a blast of energy that knocked him off the cliff. The Nightbrother screamed as he fell, abruptly silenced with a solid _thunk_ at the bottom of the canyon. Lirii’s saber twirled and screeched to stop a heavy weapon as she barely blocked the strike of one of the unhurt brothers. He kicked out at her legs in hopes of unbalancing the trained fighter but to no avail, she replied with a hard knee to his groin that barely bought her enough time to land a (mostly) harmless cut across his left arm before the other had raised his mace.

Cal was taking care of the other one decently, so absorbed in his fight he hadn’t noticed how outmatched his partner was. She would never agree to that statement, and it wouldn’t have been true if she had her twin lightsaber. But she did not. Her tiredness got the better of her and she too hastily moved to dodge one attack that was followed quickly by another. The strike from the other came at an angle where another blade could’ve stopped it, and as she raised her left arm she realized that there was no other saber to stop it. Panic and fear coursed through her veins one second and were replaced with total agony another.

The spiked mace dug deep into her right bicep, it’s metal thorns lanced so deep through the cloth and muscle there she could’ve sworn he hit bone. Cal finished his fight the moment Lirii screamed, and rushed to lower the foes they had to fight. There was no need, fuelled by anger and adrenaline, the pain was ebbed enough for her to grab the handle of the weapon and pull it’s owner in to be stabbed in return. Lirii sunk to the floor, tears rolling down her cheeks and hands shaking as she beckoned for the medpack in the bag Cal carried. BD gave up two stim packs that he quickly injected into the shoulder above where the mace lay.

“Ok, it’s ok, no no shh, it’s ok. What do I need to do?” Cal put a hand on her shoulder, trying as best he could to calm her down. Lirii was staring at the mace imbedded in her arm, some spikes long enough they passed through completely. “Lirii, look at me. Please, you have to tell me how to fix this.” He moved his hand from her shoulder to the side of her paling face. It took a few seconds before she actually felt the warmth of Cal’s hand against her cheek and she was able to form words without it being choked in pain.

“Uh, ok.” She took a deep breath, barely able to talk without her breathing aggravating the wound. “It...this...sorry. Get the gauze, and the- the trauma kit.” Lirii asked between heavy breaths.  
“You are…also going to have to take this out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I am motivated tremendously by the kudos, comments and bookmarks so keep em coming.  
> Hope you enjoyed reading and also happy holidays!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You-ow, you know how to do a field wrap?”
> 
> The Padawan nodded. “Well, I’ve seen medics do it enough.”
> 
> “If you want to try, I’ll watch.” Lirii pointed out the combat gauze in her mess of tools, gesturing with her good hand on which way to wrap it. Turns out Cal was pretty good at observing what was going on in the clone wars, he had the field medic’s wrap down nearly as well as Lirii. “Ok, then, sorry I ever doubted you.” She added with an air of impression.

“Uh, ok.” She took a deep breath, barely able to talk without her breathing aggravating the wound. “It-this-sorry. Get the gauze, and the- the trauma kit.” Lirii asked between heavy breaths. “You are…also going to have to take this out.”

Cal looked down at Lirii and to her injury, eyebrows creased full of worry. “Trust me, I’ve had worse.” She added, the former stims ebbing some of the agony down to a more manageable pain. 

“Worse? What could be worse?” Cal asked.

“I’ll tell you, ow, later.” Lirii scooted back slightly to lean against one of the rough walls. “I’m going to need the towel at the bottom of that bag, the black one, yeah.” She guided Cal through the organized chaos of her medkit until nearly everything was laid out on the floor. Two towels, a pile of gauze, bacta spray, bandages and gel, and a bottle of painkillers pilfered from an imperial medbay. The quality of tools and supplies looked s if they’d come straight from the manufacturer, and from the clean, concise look to them, that manufacturer was the Empire. Lirii didn’t mention anything so neither did Cal, right now he wanted to make sure his friend would be okay. Later would be the time for questions, he told himself. Then he would actually ask what could be worse than this wound, and if it had anything to do with the large, slightly ragged scar on her shoulder. He thought it probably did.

“Cal.” Lirii snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Yes? What do you need me to do?”

“Alright, we’re going to take this slow, because I don’t want to bleed out on Dathomir.” She replied, pain just edging on her voice. “I’m going to need the bacta spray on the area around this…thing. Just don’t touch it, ok?”

Cal looked like he was about to start shaking in fear with how wide his eyes were, admittedly it was a lot of stress to put the Padawan under, but Lirii wasn’t going to risk her own life in this forsaken cave. She took a deep, steady breath as the bacta chilled her skin around the imbedded mace. “Easy Cal, you’re doing just fine.” Lirii ensured.

“I hope so, what’s next?” He replied.

“Honestly? I should really be in hospital, but since we’re on Dathomir, I’m going to have to deal with this now. Can you see if any of the spikes have gone through and come out the other side?”

Cal cringed at the sight he’d been trying hard to avoid seeing until now. Blood he could deal with, amputation was no problem, but there was something about the sight of wrought metal going into his companion’s arm that made his stomach churn. “Um, no. Almost though.”

“Ok, good.” Lirii ignited her saber and laid it down beside herself. “You’re going to grab that black towel and put it under my arm. Black hardly stains so it’s all good if the blood gets too bad. Listen to me babble, trying to avoid shock.” The words were a way of keeping her mind from freaking out over the thing she was about to do, easier now, after the Inquisitor program.

“Why the lightsaber?” Cal asked.

“Because this thing is going to bleed a lot. How much, right now I can’t say, but let me tell you it will be too much to stop with that towel. Now, listen to me carefully.” Lirii placed her hand over Cal’s. “I will not be mad at you if I die here…I’m sorry that was a bad joke. Place your hands on this thing, but- ah!” She cried out in pain. “DON’T move it yet!” Her friend apologized furiously, wiping the fresh blood that trickled from the lacerations. “Just hold on, and when I count to three, pull straight and slow.”

“Slow? Won’t that hurt more?”

“This isn’t about how much it will hurt, this is about how much blood I can lose.”

He looked to his hands, already stained with blood, and the crude and deadly looking weapon submerged deep in his friend’s arm. “Ok. But you have to tell me if this is hurting too much.”

“It’s ok, trust me. Ready?” He managed a quick nod. “One…two…” She said through teeth already clenched tight. “Three.” Lirii stifled a scream, tasting the sharp tang of blood in her mouth when she bit a chunk from her lip. Cal pulled the ragged mace from her arm and tossed it to the side in favour of a large, wadded up towel. A flow of bright red blood followed despite the stem, seeping from the deep wound like a crimson river.

“Right- ah- good job.” Lirii rasped through heaving breaths. The vision of her injury was fuzzy, and it took everything she had to bring the pieces of her sight back and regain what composure was needed for the next step. With the help of another stim from BD, the sight came back enough for her to roll her lightsaber into her hand.

“Do you want me to do it?”

“Cal, all due respect…but I’m going to need you to…be quiet.” She adjusted the length of her saber so it was no longer than the hunting knife on her belt. “Ok, move.” The Padawan removed the dark towel, now darker drenched in blood, and looked away when Lirii pressed the green blade into the bleeding arm. Blood hissed at the introduction of the lightsaber but only for a few seconds before the stone hilt of the weapon clattered to the ground, its owner exhausted.

Lirii sighed heavily tapping out two of the stolen painkillers and holding them between her teeth while she searched for her canteen.

“You do look like you’ve done this before.” Cal half-joked.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, I have.” Lirii replied with tiredness hanging off her words.

“Do you want me to field wrap it?” Cal asked with a furrowed brow.

“You-ow, you know how to do a field wrap?”

The Padawan nodded. “Well, I’ve seen medics do it enough.”

“If you want to try, I’ll watch.” Lirii pointed out the combat gauze in her mess of tools, gesturing with her good hand on which way to wrap it. Turns out Cal was pretty good at observing what was going on in the clone wars, he had the field medic’s wrap down nearly as well as Lirii. “Ok, then, sorry I ever doubted you.” She added with an air of impression.

“You doubted me?”

“Possibly.” She replied, casually adjusting the bandage where it was too tight. “It’s going to be noon for the next three hours, so would you mind if I have a nap? Sorry, I know I sleep a lot.”

“Don’t say sorry. Go ahead, I’ll keep watch.” Cal replied, leaning against a stone wall across from the deadly ledge. Lirii muttered a thankful reply and rolled up the clean towel for some crude form of pillow on which to rest her head. She was sure to watch the movement of her arm while she curled up, head resting against the makeshift pillow and Cal’s leg. Time barely passed a minute before Lirii began snoring quietly, occasionally wincing if her arm moved the slightest inch but never stirring from her nap.

~ ~ ~

Cal on the other hand, was completely restless. BD chattered at his feet, complaining about a few dead nightsisters groaning nearby. He supposed Lirii wouldn’t mind him taking out the threat around the corner, and lent one of his extra ponchos for some sort of blanket. At least it would save her from the ever-present sun that had already turned his pale face enough of a red to match the landscape around him. The undead weren’t much of a problem after a short break and something to eat, but only lead to more problems. Two more of their warrior kin waited in the next open space, armed with plasma bows who’s bolts that he narrowly avoided. One got him in the shoulder but barely, leaving only a scorch on the padding there. By the time he’d finished off the two archers, the Padawan had burned off what energy remained in his system. A faint groan returned him to his downed compatriot.

“Where’d you go?” Lirii mumbled into her attempted pillow.

“Just to check out the area, all clear now.” Cal replied, sitting back down beside her. She held her arm close to her chest and sat up, abandoning the sleep she so desperately craved. “You can go back to sleep, it’s ok.”

“No, I should fix up the rest of these.” She yawned, reaching for the bacta in her backpack. On her less damaged arm a few vibrant bruises had begun to grow from their fight with the nightsisters, Cal could make it out just under her rolled sleeves. That, and the myriad of paler scars he had held his tongue over for weeks. Lirii noticed him examining the stripes and spots of past pains and wounds but continued to apply bacta over the fresh ones. Just thinking about how she got them put her in a sour mood, a headache already drilling into her temple even with the pain pills from earlier. Lirii took a deep breath and a sip of her water, at least it helped the dehydration she probably had. A split in her lip opened into the water she drank and she briefly recoiled from the tang of blood in her mouth.

Cal helped her to her feet once everything was packed up. “You’re sure you don’t want to rest a while longer?”

“No, I’ll be alright. Just take over most of the fighting for me.” Lirii said, playfully throwing a punch to Cal’s shoulder.

“Oh, ow.” Cal feigned true hurt, gripping where she had hit him like he’d just been stabbed. “I’ve been wounded, man down!” He wailed, smiling when Lirii shushed him with a laugh.

“If only we had a medic…do you want me to kiss it better?” She playfully replied while continuing forward. Cal managed a single chuckle in reply, guiding them both into the next area to hide his continual blush. Lirii glanced at his red face and smiled to herself for just a moment before he could catch her.

 _You’re getting too attached._ The thought passed through her mind before she could usher it away. She couldn’t tell if it was her defensive mind from Nur or the Jedi teachings from so long ago. _Just watch, he’ll die too._ Yeah, not the Jedi teachings. Lirii’s smile faded into a face etched with disgust at what her own mind had dredged up.

Luckily a deep breath was able to dispel the intruders for the time being, and just in time too. A spider jumped from the darkness at Lirii, who sidestepped and swung her saber down to meet it. Three more nightbrothers were spaced out in the cavern ahead, and not anymore answered their brothers’ calls for aid. Whistling through the air came a bolt of energy that just barely seared Lirii’s hand, she took after the archer that fired it as Cal didn’t look like he was in any trouble at all, slicing through the weapon of a warrior as it careened towards his head.

Keeping her damaged arm close to her was a challenge, one that was painful to try and hold by herself but she managed. Without her other saber and techniques that had just barely been cleansed of rust, Lirii sustained a punch or two before she managed to skewer the archer.

The sound of hurried footfalls announced Cal’s approach behind her. “You ok? I saw that nightbrother-“

“I’m fine, Cal, truly.” Lirii breathed, inhaling the warm, stale air of the cave.

“Weren’t you right handed?” He replied, glancing at the ignited saber in her left hand.

“I’m ambidextrous, kinda need to be if I use two lightsabers.”

Cal furrowed his brow. “Well, I don’t see how that has anything to do with what hand you use, but I’m very supportive of your feelings!”

Lirii forgot the intrusive thoughts completely as she struggled to comprehend what her companion meant. She burst out laughing when she did. “Oh, no no. Cal, ambidextrous is when someone can use both of their hands. Thanks for being supportive though.” Cal laughed with her and apologized before continuing on.

Ahead was darker, the tunnel that led to it completely sunk in shadow with a hooded silhouette waiting at the top.“You should turn back.” She said.

“Wait, hold on!” Lirii called, but it was too late. The witch tilted her head to the side in assessment and teleported away in a haze of green magick. “Just want to talk to her, damn it.”

Cal was a little taken aback at the mirialan’s angry tone. He had noticed her sudden shut down not a few minutes before and passed it off as her being tired. But he could feel now, something was off, not just with her either, this planet seemed to seep the darkness into you. With what he knew of Lirii’s past, that would be worse for her that it would be for him.

“Hey, you ok?” He asked with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Fine, why?” Lirii replied.

Cal took a deep breath. “I saw you shut down earlier, and I know your past has strong connections to the dark side and that this planet isn’t making them any better. It might hurt, but I think you should talk about these things, if not with me, than with Cere, but I can see you’re hurting.”

 _There goes that wall._ Lirii thought to herself. “It’s not your fault, Cal, it’s mine. Cere spoke with me earlier before you came in, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t feel like talking right now.” Cal nodded, feeling like he’d failed at- failed at what? Asking if his friend was ok? “I just sometimes can’t control the thoughts in my head and some of them aren’t very nice.” Lirii added. “That’s all.” She lowered herself down into a stone arena, glowing a light blue from the leafy vines festooned across its sharp walls. It stunk like a carcass of something dead a long time ago. She lent a hand to Cal, no matter how little it actually helped him. He said his thanks and dropped down beside her with a soft thud as he hit the fungus-laden floor.

The grunting and howling of a large creature broke their focus as the two (and BD) snuck across the opening to get to the wall of climbable vines, it was too tall to reach by themselves but the nydak behind them didn’t care. It roared, three massive claws rearing up and tearing down in a clumsy motion. Suppose that it didn’t matter if you were clumsy if you weighed the same as a TIE fighter. Lirii pulled Cal just out of reach of the terrifying talon, just barely catching them from falling over in the process. The beast threw itself forward again, and this time Cal was waiting for it. He sidestepped the charge and parried with a strike to the nydak’s head that would surely do some damage. Lirii managed a clean swipe at its hind legs and the great creature recoiled with a shriek like a banshee. The rank of its breath nearly knocked each of them out, smelling like the cave around it; death .

Cal seemed to know what he was doing and despite his gestures to leave, Lirii couldn’t just leave her friend alone. Even with one arm badly injured and stinging more by the hour, the mirialan was still adept at combat, and if she could help, she would. A few lightsaber stabs later and some pretty fancy footwork to avoid the hulking animal, it crashed into the ground dead.

Lirii let out a heavy breath that Cal mirrored, leaning on the dead nydak with one arm. He suddenly jumped as the beast moved beneath his palm and scrambled to replace his previous stance. Lirii knew his charade was supposed to make her smile so she did, doing her best to hide the interior battle against the thoughts she wished she wouldn’t think. At least, she thought she’d killed that chimaera a while ago; it hadn’t reared its’ ugly heads for a month or so. 

_He’s going to die._ One slipped through her blockade while she watched Cal bring over a large wooden crate. _How ‘bout you kill him, that’s what you’ve been trained for._ Lirii dropped her ignited lightsaber to the ground in shock.

“Lirii. Hey, what’s wrong?” Cal placed a hand on her shoulder, she flinched but when she could process his face she sighed and retrieved her saber.

“Nothing, I’m good.” She replied quickly, following the Padawan up onto the box. Cal sighed, meeting her eyes for just enough that she could tell he didn’t believe her.

“Alright, well we can stop and have something to eat soon, yeah?”

“Sure.” Lirii replied, having a hard time climbing up the vines with one useful arm. Thankfully her travelling partner was fast and could help her up the rest of the way. “Thanks.”

Cal gave her a gentle squeeze on the hand when she reached the top, and a smile that made her feel even worse about the unwanted thoughts plaguing her head. She replied with a halfhearted smile and an even weaker hold on his hand that struck a chord in her chest when she let go. Honestly Lirii would’ve rather held on, but the sense of more impulsive thoughts appearing in her head stopped her.

Through another series of warm-coloured stone hallways and a tight corridor lay a massive cavern. Intersected by a maze of thatched fences and doorways carved into the walls. Lirii and Cal exchanged the same knowing and slightly afraid look, this was the Nightbrother village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, more lockdown for us up in Canada! I’m fine with that honestly because I would rather do school at home and now I have even more time to write.  
> As always, the people who continue to read and leave kudos/comments are the butter to my toast and I love y’all!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Cal…” the mirialan took a deep breath. “It’s fine. It’s fine, let’s just keep going and we’ll ration the water.”
> 
> The Padawan apologized again and jumped down to the lower platform, rolling into the fall to avoid any broken bones. Lirii would’ve followed suit if her arm wasn’t hurting so much. Until she remembered that she was force-sensitive and used the force to cushion her fall. Not as graceful as the Second Sister, or really any other Jedi that had practiced in the last month, but at least she only half made a fool of herself by falling on her face. And nothing too broken to not be repaired.
> 
> “Good job.” Cal whispered.
> 
> “Don’t insult me.” Lirii replied, dusting the sand off her jacket.

The cavern that spread out before them was bisected by a massive stone wall, dark and intimidating and patrolled by a few nightbrother archers. As far as they could see, the only way into the camp was a raised metal gate at the end of a spiny wooden drawbridge. Air in here was damp and cool, wind whistling in through various vents covered the stoic silence and any minute conversations happening below, or above.

“I don’t like this.” Lirii admitted, eyes fixed on an approaching nightbrother beneath them. She took a step away from the edge and up to Cal.

“Well, we won’t be going through there unless we have to.” He replied. BD chirped on his back a hopeful word about their situation.

“Something tells me we’ll have to.” Lirii took up the back of the line while Cal hopped down into the hallway beneath them, taking down an unsuspecting nightbrother as he did. BD was sure to scan everything he could along the way. Cal gasped as his boot splashed through a shallow creek bubbling up beneath his feet, the water seeping through the cracks was freezing and soaked the sock beneath. BD trilled his binary laugh and their other companion managed a snicker at the misfortune on the Padawan’s face.

“Yeah, go ahead, laugh at me.” Cal replied sarcastically.

“We’re laughing with you, Cal.” Lirii said, trying to recover her good mood from an hour ago.

“Except for the fact I’m not laughing.”

“That’s true.”

The three stepped ever closer to the intimidating bridge, held up with similarly spiked chains. Even in the interior design, Dathomirians seemed to have a need to maintain the threatening aesthetic that mirrored their planet’s dangerous atmosphere. Lirii’s head peeked around a shadow-soaked corner, the toe of her boot kicking stray pebbles down onto an even lower level. She scrambled away from the overlooked ledge, nearly slipping further as she did.

“See anything?” Cal asked, steadying his friend.

“Just a nice drop that I’m probably not going to be able to climb down. There aren’t many nightbrothers up there, so we can probably sneak past again.” _Because that went SO well last time._

“How can you see up there? That’s amazing.” He replied.

“Mirialans have better eyesight than you humans.” Lirii said.

“Oh, cool. I can jump down and kind of catch you if you jump too. There’s no rope in that bag of yours, is there?”

“No, but I can check.” Lirii reached behind her only for her hand to move through air, and not the rough fabric of her rucksack. She tried again but it wasn’t there. “Do you have the bag?”

BD beeped a negative that set both their nerves on edge. “Where’d it go?”

“It must’ve fell off on the way, I’m sorry.”

“Cal…” the mirialan took a deep breath. “It’s fine. It’s fine, let’s just keep going and we’ll ration the water.”

The Padawan apologized again and jumped down to the lower platform, rolling into the fall to avoid any broken bones. Lirii would’ve followed suit if her arm wasn’t hurting so much. Until she remembered that she was force-sensitive and used the force to cushion her fall. Not as graceful as the Second Sister, or really any other Jedi that had practiced in the last month, but at least she only half made a fool of herself by falling on her face. And nothing too broken to not be repaired.

“Good job.” Cal whispered.

“Don’t insult me.” Lirii replied, dusting the sand off her jacket. _Insolent bastard._ Uncalled for, again, but a little easier to ignore than thoughts of literally killing the poor Padawan. She just wanted to get off this planet as quickly as possible now, it seemed like the longer they stayed the worse these dark thoughts became. Lirii wondered if her companion was having similar problems but dare not ask for fear of scaring him away. She’d ask Cere, if they got out of this place alive..

“Ready?” Cal gestured to the bridge he was about to pull down. “On my count, run for the gate. One, two, three!” The structure broke free of the chains holding it and slammed into the rock by their feet, that quickly took off towards the entrance. Seems they were ready for them.

“ _Halt their advance!”_ The accented voice of the Nightsister rang over the camp, hardly heard through the force-sensitives’ panic over their entrapment. Bolts from energy bows were always inches from striking, and if they did, they were sliced through by their lightsabers.

“Beeeep! Whoop trill!” BD yelled.

“Path by the gate?! Come on!” Cal reached to grab her hand and ran for a dark crack in the stone for cover. He missed, but didn’t realize until he slid to a stop in the broiling red sun.

Air here was alive and loud and damp. Every breath he took was a struggle thanks to the thousands of minuscule flies that swarmed his head and arms.

“You ok, Lirii? That was one hell of a run…Lirii?” Cal looked to the glove he held in his hand, empty of the hand it would fit, then around the platform he landed on. Every turn was steeped further in panic when he couldn’t see his travelling partner. “Lirii?! Lirii?!! Where are you!? BD can you see her anywhere?” The little droid did a general scan of the area, jumping off his friend’s back to scamper around in search of the lost mirialan. No sign, he beeped back with a sad “bwoo..” Cal tried to climb back up the muddy slide but couldn’t make it more than a few feet before sliding down again. He took a shaky breath and turned to his comlink, set it to Lirii’s personal frequency and calmed the clear panic in his voice before speaking.

“Hey, Lirii it’s Cal, are you ok? Over.” Static joined the drone of bugs around him, but no reply. “Lirii I’m in the swamps, where are you? Over.” Again, nothing, then a brief second of growling voices and a loud burst of more static as the line was indefinitely cut from the other end. Cal gazed into the green and red mist blanketing the expanse of swamp he found himself in, taking a conservative drink from the water he remembered to ration. She’d figure out a way to find him, but he hoped she would be alright by the time they found each other. For that to happen he had to get up and move.

~ ~ ~

Lirii ran the moment she saw the Nightsister materialize on the bridge. Her eyes the size of dinner plates while bolts of energy rained around her and her partner. Cal shouted something about running and reached to take her hand. His wrapped around her gloved hand and as she was about to jump and reinforce their grip, a stray stone folded her legs and sent her skidding into the rusty sand while Cal disappeared through the crack in the wall. Lirii’s head hit a rock on the way down, the cut it opened turned half her face a shimmering red and blinding one of her eyes with blood. The long body of her lightsaber had come unclipped from her belt and lay so close, so close, just a few feet away. But a nightbrother picked it up, dusted it off, and hit the wounded mirialan in the temple with the butt of it. Her snarling face calmed immediately as a sturdy blackness filled her mind.

The Nightsister appeared in the space where the mirialan lay bleeding. With an open hand she requested the lightsaber from the nightbrother who picked it up, studying for only a moment the intricate pattern in the stone that formed it’s grip before handing it back. She turned back to the unconscious figure, crouching to better view what injuries had befallen her; most noticeably the packed wound on her arm, and the faint pink that could be seen beneath white bandages tightly wrapped across it. A larger Nightbrother of higher rank strode up beside the witch, weapon raised to strike. With a simple barring hand, the warrior lowered his attack, respectful of the Nightsister’s commands indefinitely.

“Cage her.” She said quickly, supervising as her guard carried the strange trespasser to their village, securing her in a darkened stone cell. More arachnoid paintings covered the walls here, but for the most part it was completely empty. Instructions were made to place a cup of drinkable water and some food in there for when their prisoner woke.

Merrin sat in a common room close to the dark cell that held their Jedi trespasser, the weapon of whom was on display before her. In the torchlight, the metal details flickered and shone, as well as the polished and etched stone of the handle. A beautiful weapon, but too much like the ones used to cut down hundreds of her sisters. The Nightsister removed it from her sight by placing it in a wooden box nearby. Just in time, too, for the human they knew as Malicos entered the room without knocking. That was normal, the power-hungry madman never knew any boundaries once he thought he ruled the roost.

“So, you’ve managed to subdue one of the Jedi? Which one?” He sauntered over to the cage only to turn back to the witch.

“The female, with tattoos.” She replied quickly, sensing as always the anger flowing off their current leader.

“Ah, I see. Best to kill that one quickly before she wakes up, she’s very dangerous. Look at me when I’m talking to you, girl!” Merrin snapped her attention back to Malicos. “The other one is trapped in the swamps. If I were you, I’d finish them both off quickly.”

“Yes, Malicos.” The Nightsister replied, staring at his retreating back. Once she was sure that he had gone from the village, she returned to the door cage, peering in with anxious eyes.

“Hello? You are alive?” She called.

Lirii felt pain and cold the moment she woke. Immediately reaching for the saber at her side but could not find it, and could hardly see either. One eye had been glued shut with drying blood and the other was having a very hard time adjusting to the darkness around her.

“My- agh, where…am I?” She asked herself, not expecting an answer.

“You are in the Nightbrother Village.” The Nightsister replied from the entryway, behind iron gates. “And are the prisoner of the Nightsisters.”

Lirii startled at the voice, one she’d heard before. “Nightsisters? You! Where are you keeping Cal?” She moved to stand but couldn’t with bound feet and hands. Her heart beat swiftly in her chest, the air feeling heavy and far too stale to be of use in breathing.

“I do not have the other Jedi.” Came the slightly somber reply. “What are you doing on Dathomir?”

“Hold on.” Lirii closed her eye, attempting to quell the flame of panic that sparked from being caged. _Deep breaths._ She thought. _Easy, it’s alright._ This one wasn’t so bad, there was at least a large margin for escape. Cal was still free, and the Nightsister hadn’t killed her yet. _And you’re stuck in the middle of a nightbrother village surrounded by hostiles. And in a locked cell with no lightsaber_. Not helpful, but honest. Lirii knew that this place only amplified the dark she’d spent so long ushering away, so it was best to focus on the light. That’s what her master would say, anyway. A deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. Calm. Be calm.

“We didn’t mean to intrude.” Lirii said finally. “We’re just looking for the Zeffo- something. Can’t remember the name right now. It’s in the ruins though, that’s where we’re trying to get to.”

“You are intruders. And lying Jedi.”

“Look, Nightsister, I don’t know what you have against Jedi, but I’m not one of them.”

“You carry their gifts, but you do not try to attack me with them I see. I do not know of this ‘Zeffo.” The Nightsister replied. She lifted the lock on the gate and stepped in, bringing with her a torch to place on the wall. It’s orange flame lit up the room enough that Lirii could see the witch sitting about ten feet from where she lay, not hostile, just watching.

“Malicos wants me to kill you.” Merrin reported with no other context. Lirii attempted to scratch some of the blood from their forehead but couldn’t accomplish that with her arms tied together. One pulled on the other and the other was painful.

“Okay. Who’s Malicos?”

“He leads the nightbrother clan here. He looked for power in those ruins, as you are.”

Ignoring the false accusation, Lirii went through the information she knew on Dathomir and it’s cultures. Which wasn’t much, but her detentions in the archives had proved their use time and again. “I thought the Nightsisters led the Nightbrothers? Is this person from Dathomir?”

“He arrived some years ago, from somewhere else. He’s human, but powerful. I- I cannot defeat him alone.”

 _Human?_ _Dathomir didn’t seem to fare well for humans, unless…_ If Lirii was right about who she thought this witch was talking about, Cal would not be hearing the end of it.

“He seems like a right bastard. You aren’t going to follow his orders and kill me, right?”

“You are an intruder, and have not listened to my previous warnings.” _Great._ “Though you have not attempted to kill me, so I truly have no wish to kill you. If I did, I would’ve done so already.”

“Thanks. Is there anything you can do about my injuries? One is from a nightbrother weapon.” Lirii asked, knowing the Nightsister probably could do something but wouldn’t. Merrin got up and left the cell, closing the gate behind her without a word. The mirialan sighed, deciding it wars best to start forming a plan to get out of here. But on the other hand, it might make the resident Nightsister change her mind about keeping her alive if she tried to leave.

“Here, drink.” Silently, Merrin had managed to sneak up on Lirii, a stone cup full of something spicy and warm in her hand. She nestled it in the tied hands of her prisoner, who had a very hard time drinking it. The taste wasn’t as bad as Lirii expected, rather salty, but she supposed there wasn’t much sweet things on this dangerous planet.

“Thank you.”

The Nightsister nodded and vanished from the room in a green haze, briefly snuffing the torches around her. Lirii shuffled as best she could closer to the light, checking the knots that bound her hands. The rope was braided and rough, but it was better than chains. Chains wouldn’t be as easy to cut. Her eyes flicked to the sconce that held her only source of light, following the pattern of metal until she came to a sharp spike. With no pain meds to fall back on, she knew this was going to hurt something fierce. Carefully, and on high alert for the Nightsister or her warrior brothers, Lirii managed to hike the binding around her wrists over this spike.

It was difficult and time-consuming to drag the rope again and again across the sharp piece of metal. Each movement frayed another of the strands, steadily shredding the braid that bound her hands until- snap! Lirii tumbled back onto the stone, the split rope lying beneath the flame of the torch. With her good hand, she massaged her opposite wrist, easing away some of the grazing there.

“Ok, what’s next?” She said to herself. The burning in her arm could be ignored until she found her way out of here and met up with Cal again. Her wrist bracers that held her comlink had been taken, so that was a first priority. As she tried to stand, she was reminded of the actual first priority: her bound feet. Those knots were crude and easy to untie, so she was back walking in no time.

A wary look out the gate told that there was no one keeping her guarded, and the Nightsister would’ve surely returned if she knew that her prisoner was escaping. The cell door wasn’t locked very tightly, and a quick use of the force lifted the latch she couldn’t reach. Oh, it was so nice reconnecting with her abilities again. _Careful, Padawan. Let’s not get too reckless._ She could practically hear her master say. Outside sat a round table and some wooden thatched chairs, surrounded by pots and a fire in the wall. There, the bracers! Lirii grabbed them from their near-trophy position on top of the mantle, quickly replacing them where they should be; on her arms. Some distant conversation let her know that she would still need her weapon if she was to reach Cal alive and in one piece. _Where is my weapon?_ She questioned blindly, closing her eyes to sense for it. The force signatures around were strong, many and dark, making it difficult to find the one that belonged to her lightsaber. But with the complications came some contrast and familiarity, that led her to a wooden box hidden beneath a loose stone. Not unlike the one she had on the Mantis. Oh dear, Cere would not be happy with this excursion, Lirii realized. That was alright, as long as the two of them returned alive, it wouldn’t be too bad.   
Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays and New Year everyone! My gift to you is chapter 19 lol. Hope all of you enjoy the holidays and stay safe in the coming months  
> Thank you all for reading as always, enjoy!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is over twice the usual amount of the rest of my chapters, so I sincerely hope you all really enjoy this heaping pile of angst!

Cal hadn’t stopped looking for signs of Lirii for the past hour, trudging through thick green and red mud. Spiders practically crawled into his clothes at every corner, not to mention the added hoards of undead witches. They’d drop from the sky to catch him off guard, too fast to outrun here and with teeth and talons sharp enough to tear right through some of his thinner clothes. Fortunately, like before, they were weak to his lightsaber. The Nydaks were not. Even with his Jedi weapon, it still took a while until it finally collapsed into the ground, and took a good swipe of Cal’s shoulder on the way down. BD was quick with a stim to help out.   
By the time he cleared the base of the quagmired canyon, every step felt like adding another ten pounds on top of Cal’s shoulders. Thankfully, ahead was dark and looked to be clear of Nightsisters or Nydaks.

 _Only death awaits you here_ … A hushed voice echoed from the dark walls, hardly lit by blue fungi that crept up them. Cal’s attempts to still his shaking hands failed while he and BD climbed down slick stone, having to jump across some deep crevasses beneath. Stagnant water pooled at the base of each giant step, soaking is boots once again. Never had he thought he’d be reminded of Kashyyyk on a planet so arid as Dathomir, but with the humidity and darkness around him, it was looking more like the Shadowlands every second.

As Cal finished his descent, his little companion droid jumped off his shoulder, skittering far across the expansive underground clearing before the two.

“Buddy! Hold on, it might be dangerous!” He warned, following close behind to scoop up BD after finishing a scan. He trilled excitedly at the amount of things to see, his little binocular head swivelling to look at the rest of the room while Cal inspected a recently dead nightbrother.

“Bweeep!” BD yelled, directing his friend to the massive bat they’d seen before, who was crawling down the ceiling of the cave. Her massive wings blew them both over as she landed, howling a deafening roar. Cal took a deep breath and ignited his sapphire saber, facing the beast head-on in her own lair. “Come on.” He challenged under his breath.

The great bat proved more of a challenge than he’d originally thought. It’s tough hide could barely be pierced by the blade of his lightsaber. Cal was thrown to the ground over and over until a persistent ringing began in his skull, a single shriek from the beast made them bleed.

With enough strikes, the bat was rendered more and more frantic in her attacks. Swinging her wings and biting wildly on hopes of catching the poor Jedi who’d fallen into her den. On one occasion she caught him in her beaked jaws, but a saber slash to her face made her let go right quick.

When Cal finally tumbled out of the death trapped beak, he was surprised that the bat had finally let him alone, grumbling as she clumsily climbed back out of the hole in the wall. He let out a deep held breath, splaying his arms out over the cool stone and just taking a second to recover from what proved to be a tiresome battle. BD beeped at his side to make sure that he was okay, and he said he was. Just missing a travelling partner.

“Beep whoop.” BD-1 replied.

“Yeah, I know. I just hope she’s okay.” Cal nabbed a stim from the little droid, thankful again that he’d stopped by to get more at the beginning of this trip. Strange, he never needed someone else before, other than Prauf who wouldn’t leave until the scrap rat that was little Cal had some working skills to his name. No matter how many times he’d assured the abdeneedo that he could handle himself, he wouldn’t leave his side. On many instances, little Cal would’ve died without him. Including the last time. He drew a heavy breath, as far as he was concerned those memories could stay buried until after they were off this planet.

~ ~ ~

Lirii snuck around another stone corner that attached to yet another red stone hallway. “Ok, next one has to be the way out.” She told herself, having decided that she should _follow_ the voices of nearby nightbrothers some twenty minutes ago. They always seemed to be getting closer and closer, then when the mirialan felt as if she’d walk right over them, they’d get further away. Of course there would be no exit signs on this horrible planet, everyone knew their way around if they lived here. And no one was ever expecting visitors so why take the courtesy of letting people know how to leave? Things became ever more frustrating when another door led to more of the same corridors.

“Hello?!” Lirii finally gave up on walking. She would rather fight nightbrothers than be stuck in this maze. Hey, maybe if they did show up she could talk them into letting her just leave. “Hello?! Nightsister!? Nightbrothers!? Anyone around who can help me out of this maze?” The mirialan slumped against a rough stone wall. “Admit it Lirii, you’re lost. Go back the way you came.” She said to herself, sneezing as a bit of dust got into her nose. Some meditation was decidedly the best thing to do right now, before she tried to remember how to get back to the cage she was in before. That way she could stave off the hunger that was steadily getting more dire.

Lirii sat down in the red sand that built up in the corner of the hall, crossing her legs in the most comfortable way she could, closing her eyes to focus on the serenity that the silence brought.

 _“Lirii.”_ A whisper stirred her from her concentration. She sat upright, eyes straining to see through the dark that replaced her torch-lit environment of before. _“Lirii._ ” There it was again, at the end of the corridor? That was the only point of light she could see, but not like the natural ones on Dathomir; coldly white and sterile. Lirii rose from her spot on the floor, taking her lightsaber in a white-knuckled grip in her hand. Not igniting it, not yet, if anything bad happened she did know how to defend herself. Some comfort that was.

Her heart thrummed in her chest as she stepped into the fluorescent light. In here it was much less intense than before, accompanied by small red lights in the walls of dark grey steel. No, no no no, it couldn’t be. Lirii ignited her lightsaber, expecting the vibrant green that had calmed her nerves so many times with it’s defensive aid, but the red that showed up did the exact opposite.

She threw the weapon against the metal wall that surrounded her, so hard she could tell the pommel had dented. It clanked against the same durasteel floor as its owner backed away until her back hit another wall. Jade eyes flicked from one corner of the room to another, never lingering on one place for more than a second. Every breath felt like it wasn’t enough to keep her standing. One side of the room bathed her face in red; a laser gate, impenetrable even with the blooded lightsaber in the corner of the room. Trapped, again.

 _“Lirii. What are you doing in there? Come out.”_ A door opened from behind her, sending the panicked mirialan onto her back. She gazed up, right into the slightly amused face of the Second Sister. “You haven’t been in that cell for a long time. Reminiscing were we?”

“No, Second Sister.” Lirii replied, but not voluntarily. She felt trapped in her own head, not able to control her words or her actions.

“Well, get up. We have work to do.” Trilla didn’t offer a hand to help her, even with her arm in the same state as before. This couldn’t be real, no she was just on Dathomir, with Cal. This was just a nightmare, just a bad dream. A gloved hand snapped her out of her thoughts, shattering her hopes of it being made up in her head as she locked eyes once again with the Second Sister. _No._ Any dread that filled her multiplied tenfold.

“Lirii, snap out of it. Do you want more reconditioning or can we do our job today?”

“Sorry, Second Sister.”

“You better be.” She replied. A door ahead opened automatically at their approach, the room ahead well-lit with lava pools beneath. Their warmth doing nothing to ease the sense of doom in Lirii’s stomach every time she fell in line behind the inquisitor. “Only one more Jedi to take care of today. Go on in, I’ll be waiting outside.”

The cell door to her left opened unbidden, revealing an inky blackness within. She remembered this part of her inquisitor conditioning, and wondered how long this poor soul has been in here. Days? Weeks? Months? The longest she heard of was just over a year, and that was for the Ninth Sister.

“Hello?” She called into the room. A shuffle from the back corner caught her attention, it muttered a weak “finally going to kill me?” She could barely recognize the voice, and reached for the saber on her belt that had reappeared at the same time as Trilla. It ignited with the same brilliant red, and shone down on the features of Cal Kestis. The hands that held her glowing saber shook as she knelt down to meet the bruised and battered face of one of the few people she’d consider ‘friend’. 

“Cal, what have they done?” She gently tried to see the extent of the dark blood running down his face, but he flinched away.

“Don’t touch me.” He hissed through clenched teeth. Lirii’s eyes brimmed with tears so she could barely see the person in front of her. “And don’t pretend to be worried. You’re the one that got me in here in the first place.”

“Cal- no, it’s me Lirii, I’ve got to get you out of here and back to the Mantis!” She whisper-yelled, voice wavering severely.

“They’re dead! You hear me? They’re dead and I should be too, just kill me!” His cold hand wrapped around her wrist with such force she had never experienced from this Padawan. “Kill me! Come on, Lirii!” Without thinking the saber was in her hand and driven through Cal’s chest, a fatal blow and she knew it. Immediately every bit of medical knowledge from the Clone Wars and recently, disappeared from her mind while she fumbled about helplessly to try and fix what she’d done. When the grip around her wrist went limp Lirii let out a massive sob, pressing her forehead to Cal’s chest in a feeble effort to get him to wake up. She grabbed his hand, eager for a pulse but there was nothing, not even any remaining warmth. 

“Cal, please. I’m so sorry.” She whimpered into the dark. “Please..”

_“Lirii?!”_ The same familiar voice of Cal was loud and clear in front of her, accompanied by the excited trills of a BD droid and rapid footfalls on stone. “Lirii! Are you okay? What happened?”

Her eyes took a while to regain some semblance of vision. BD, the little droid always quick to help, jumped up onto her lap, nudging at her hand clenched tight in a fist. He beeped a worried question just before Cal could join him.

“Lirii? What’s wrong?” Lirii had to force herself to move in order to see the crouching redhead.

“Cal? No, you can’t be here, it’s not safe.” She whimpered, not quite able to see his face through stinging tears. He needed to leave, now.

“I am here.” Cal’s panicked grey eyes scanned the room around them, spotting his friend’s lightsaber a few feet away with a significant dent in the copper plating. He left it, instead grabbing Lirii’s hands gently and holding them in his. She said something about how he must leave or he’d die, body shaking with tears. Cal wouldn’t accept that was what she truly thought in that moment. Sure, he had no clue what transpired here, but it looked almost like a bad psychometry read and that, he knew best how to handle.

“Hey, Lirii listen to me. Do you hear me? Do you feel me holding your hands?” Cal asked as calmly as he could. Lirii took a shaky breath and looked down at the freckled hands holding hers, then finally up into the face of her returned friend. 

“Cal!” She threw her arm around his shoulders, forehead pressed into his lightly armoured chest. Breathing in a familiar smell she hadn’t noticed had become so custom in the Mantis. Much different and much more comforting than the fear and blood that surrounded her before, no this was real. This had to be, and the former vision was nothing more than an illusion. Without the need for tears she did her best to wipe them away, regain some of her lacking composure from this eventful… afternoon? Was it afternoon still? She didn’t know right now, but what was most important at this moment was that they were both alive and mostly well.

“What happened here?” Cal asked again, still keeping a firm grip on Lirii’s shaking hands.

“I-I.” Lirii took a slow, deep breath, wanting to curl away into a bunker. A series of sturdy walls that no longer stood around this compassionate Padawan. “I was just wandering, and I kept going around in circles so I thought I’d lie down for a bit. But I had the worst nightmare where you-”

“Shh, sh. It’s okay now,” he replied, “it was only a dream. Do you want to talk about it?”

Lirii shook her head, pulling some loose strands of hair out of her sweat-slicked face. The sand beside her shifted while Cal squirmed trying to get comfortable. Wind from a doorway ahead whistled quietly through the hall, swirling the shimmering dust in eddies across the floor. BD tilted his head at the two sitting in silence and jumped out to chase the unseen force, hopping into the air like a cat toying with a dustball. He fetched it from way at the end of the hall but lost interest halfway back, scanning something wedged in the ground.

“Boop-bwee.” The droid chirped back.

“What’d you find little guy?” Lirii replied in a brittle voice.

“Be-be-beep.”

“Rocks?” A few small faceted stones fell into her outstretched hand, warm against her palm. “Thank you.” She smiled, sniffling. Lirii’s pants had many pockets for things to be stored, and one happened to serve for a spot for interesting trinkets for a while now. The rocks BD gathered were placed there and she reminded herself to put them in a proper spot once they got back to the Mantis. Speaking of – “we should get moving.” Lirii stated.

“You sure? We can just sit for a while.” Cal asked.

“Yes, thank you.” She coughed, placing a hand on her throat. Her partner nabbed his water bottle from his belt, holding it out. Lirii nodded, happily accepting some water from Cal’s remaining canteen. She had to stop herself from draining the whole thing in one go.

“Ok, let’s head out then.” The Padawan said. As Cal led them on, BD-1 hopped down his arm and onto Lirii’s, taking up a spot on her back. The extra weight would’ve been a hassle a few hours ago, but the company was plenty welcome now. Cal shot her a kind smile when he checked in on his droid. She returned it as best she could.

Red sunlight had shifted to a lighter orange as it begun its sloth descent past the horizon, and shone through a carved window in the wall. Strange, Lirii knew she couldn’t have possibly made it up here by herself; the way back looked absolutely nothing like the labyrinth of tunnels she remembered.

“ _Cal, do you read me?”_ Cere burst through a crackle of static, startling the frazzled mirialan.

“Yep, we read you.” Cal replied.

_“Are you almost to the tomb?”_

“Almost, got a little sidetracked but I’m pretty sure we’re on the right road now.” He said.

_“Sounds like you’re handling yourselves.”_

“Absolutely, Lirii and I’ve got this – and BD too.” He added after a scolding beep from the droid.

“See you soon.” With another burst of static the line went dead, leaving the three in more tensioned quiet. Cal didn’t try to make some conversation this time, he would wait until they got back to the ship, until their surroundings were not so hostile to let their guards down again. Lirii took a deep breath, trying to empty her stormed mind for now. Something was missing, she knew it, but what? Her hand patted down the pockets of her jacket and pants, and the belt around her waist.

“My lightsaber. I left it back there, hold on.” She said.

“No, I’ve got it.” Cal replied, pulling the saber from his belt. Lirii’s fingers ghosted over the metal as if it would bite her, but returned it to her side.

“Thank you.”

Cal eyed his companion sceptically. Waiting for an addition to their short conversation that only came as an equally dubious look from Lirii. Still recovering from the shock of that vision, the mood to speak had long since passed. She couldn’t help though, to feel ignorant for not being more active in her friend’s travels.

“So, uh, what happened when I was away? Nothing too bad, I hope.” Lirii said, noticing a colourful bruise trailing up the back of Cal’s neck.

“No, nothing too bad.” His hand moved to the same injury. “You know that big bat we saw earlier? Turns out she’s not very friendly.”

“Turns out she’s not friendly? What, did it attack you?” Lirii was a quick to her friend’s side, looking and prodding for any broken bones. Cal inhaled sharply, pulling away as she hit a sore spot on his shoulder. “Sorry. Do you want me to take a look at that?” It felt good for her to think about something else, anything else really.

“Later? The tomb’s just ahead, look.”

Lirii’s head turned into the setting moon, caught between the two pillars of the tomb they’d fallen from before. She didn’t even recall walking all the way here. Must not have been far, she thought. The sight of the tomb they’d spend so long and risked life and limb for was an odd sight to see. On one hand, it was beautiful. Gleaming spires of dark metal rising from wildly cut mountains, and ornate horned statues of the Zeffo guardians that had been there for Force knows how long. On the other, the carved eyes of the guardians never seem to leave the two trespassing on their sacred ground. They watched as Cal and Lirii walked beneath their massive weapons and nearly through the door. Chills down her spine made Lirii shiver and stop in her tracks, something deep within warning her not to take another step forward. _This will not end well for your dear Padawan._ It said.

**_Do not go into the tomb._ **

****

The lucidity and volume of the voice nearly knocked her over, her foot just barely catching her before she tripped. 

“Lirii?” Cal asked.

“I don’t think we should go in there. Really.” She replied, holding her stomach to stop it from turning over.

“You’re shivering, how can you be cold? Look, it’ll only take a second, we’ll be in and out. All we have to do is grab the astrium-thing and leave.” The Padawan placed a hand on her shoulder. She insisted they leave now but of course he wouldn’t listen. “Here, how about you keep watch out here for me, and I’ll go in to get the thing. Hm? I’ll be okay, I promise.”

Lirii huffed, throwing an arm up in defeat. “Okay, but please be quick. We should leave.”

BD jumped from her back and ran to his adventuring buddy’s, offering a farewell beep as they walked into the darkness.

Alone, again. The sun around the ancient ruins was cold, especially compared to it’s broiling capabilities earlier in the day. Lirii paced around the dry courtyard, nervously eying the entrance to the tomb and the hanging fleshy graves of dead Nightsisters. “I really hope we’re on better terms now, Nightsister. Please don’t drop your sisters on me.” She called into the surrounding area, feeling foolish and wishing she actually knew the witch’s name. It would be better than just calling her ‘Nightsister’. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, tennn and a half, ok eleven.” The mirialan counted under her breath how many steps it took to cross the courtyard. That got boring very fast, so she retired to an uncomfortable seat right in the crimson light of the setting sun. She cracked each of her knuckles in turn, taking some small form of satisfaction from the popping sounds. When that was done with, her hand found a groove in the stone to scrape old sand out of and that barely occupied her for a minute until a shuffling of feet on rock made her reach for her saber.

“Oh, hello there! Didn’t know someone else was here.” The traveller appeared from around a bend, formerly hidden by thick thorny vines. Lirii stepped off the rock where she’d been sitting, the dented lightsaber hilt held firmly in her good hand.

“So hostile! I don’t want to hurt either of you. Speaking of, where is your Jedi friend?” The man exclaimed in a jovial way that only served to unsettle the former inquisitor he was speaking to.

“Inside. Step away!” Lirii warned, igniting her vibrant blade at the advance of this stranger. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but I’ve felt plenty of people full of such hate in my time. Enough to recognize someone as dangerous and you before they can kill me. I said, stand. Back!” The light of her weapon cast deep shadows on Malicos’ face as she thrust it towards him. He didn’t flinch.

“Girl, you are just the same as I am. Don’t try and deny it, we are very similar. You’re a survivor, you and your friend both. And you’re missing a lightsaber.”

“Wha- how would you know that?” Lirii gasped.

“Well, I can only assume someone of your talents lost a fight because you didn’t have the right tools.” He vaguely gestured to the wrappings on her arm, stained in red. “And your stance, you’re perfectly ready to strike me down, how wonderful.” He laughed as a husk would laugh; empty, rattling. Like something that had been left out too long to dry in the Dathomir sun.

“Very flattering.” Lirii regained her composure quickly, backing away towards the mouth of the vault enough to resume a defensive position.

_“Ah! No, please!”_

Cal’s echoing call made Lirii jump. She turned to the source of the sound, but was stopped by the stranger once more.

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.” He insisted with a smile on his face. Lirii scoffed, running in after her friend. _Don’t go there Padawan._ She could almost hear her master plead. Ignoring them both, she raised her saber to see through the dark fog that shadowed the rooms she assumed were there.

“Cal! Where are you?” Lirii traipsed through the mist, thinking that the room was far larger than what she saw outside. The only thing similar was the same frigid atmosphere and the distant red pillars of rock that rose from the floor. Her lightsaber cast it’s green light only a foot or so in front of her, hardly enough to even see the floor, let alone a hidden adversary. As if on cue someone stepped out of the shadows, another stranger on this planet clad in black armour. Their face covered by a mechanically insectoid mask.

“Hello, Lirii. Long time no see.” They said, voice heavily modified by their helmet. Every step of their boots clicked on the ground until the matte black of their uniform was bathed in green. Lirii gasped and fell on her back trying to get away from this Inquisitor. Her bad arm hitting the ground sent a shockwave of pain up through her shoulder.

“No, you’re not real! I know you’re not real.” Lirii insisted.

“Then why are you scared?” The Eighth Sister replied. Her mirror image scrambling to her feet.

“I shouldn’t be. You were buried long ago.”

“Not that long, darling.” The Inquisitor removed her helmet, Lirii looked away, finding anything of interest on the floor to fix her eyes on instead.

“I won’t listen to you.” Lirii said. “I’m looking for Cal and you are just a distraction. Something conjured up by this dark place. I’ll get back to the Mantis and you will stay here.” Pushing past the phantom, she raised her lightsaber in front of her to continue her search through the tomb.

Eighth Sister laughed, catching Lirii’s eyes for just long enough to shake her to her core again. The green a sickly yellow surrounded by bloodshot whites that turned her stomach into lead to be seeing once more. Lirii yelled, taking a swing at the Inquisitor that only swirled the mist around her. She was left, chest heaving and heart pounding, with the feeling of being watched. The laughter of her former self still echoing in her mind. Never mind all that now, she _had_ to get Cal out of there. Ahead, the mist cleared and there he was; the poor Padawan, walking around the room inthralled in something that Lirii couldn’t see. BD noticed her right away and jumped up onto her leg to perch on her shoulder.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

“Bee-be-be-bwooop. Trill boo…” Lirii’s brow furrowed as she glanced back to see if anyone had followed her.

“Cal. Cal, come on, snap out of it.” She stood right in front of him but he didn’t act as though he could see her. “CAL.” Lirii shook his shoulder but jumped away when he ignited his lightsaber, pointing it right at her. “I don’t understand, can he not hear me?”

“Boo-bo.” BD replied.

She could do nothing but wait on the sidelines as her companion became more and more unnerved by a phantom she couldn’t see. Maybe he touched something and this was the psychometry taking over. The droid and the girl backed away as Cal began swinging his lightsaber left and right in motions that were so…amateur, so unlike him. Heavy, lagging strikes that wouldn’t do much good at an enemy with more finesse than a slug. Then, the lightsaber was caught in a stab. Lirii and BD stepped forward to help, but something told the mirialan that she should stay back.

“NOO!!!” Cal finally screamed, something Lirii hoped she would never have to hear, and that cut her to the quick to be witnessing. The Padawan fell to his knees, clutching a sparking lightsaber hilt. His partner was soon to follow, sliding in beside him. She gasped at the weapon, crushed like a piece of scrap.

“Cal… come on, we have to go.” He flinched at her hand around his only for a moment.

“It’s broken…” His voice cracked.

“Yes, but I’m here. We need to get back to the Mantis. Take my hand. Please.” Cal accepted with tears in his eyes, letting the girl with him pull him to his feet.

“I- I don’t know-”

“You don’t have to explain anything, okay? Not until you’re ready.” Lirii was cautious as they stepped back into the darkening sun, spotting the traveller and trying her best to speed up their movements to bypass him. It did not work.

“Did things not go as planned?” He began with a clear tone of superiority. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Leave us alone.” Cal replied. 

“Leave you? Alone? Lost and defenceless in this dangerous place? Never.”

“Okay, enough of this. Who are you really?” Cal snapped, clipping what remained of his lightsaber to his belt. Lirii sneered from beside him, her weapon already prepared for a clearly incoming fight. The man discarded his tattered black robes to reveal a clearly nightbrother-inspired uniform. With, low and behold, two lightsabers clinging to his decorated belt. Lirii didn’t have to guess the colour of those blood-drenched blades. 

“Taron Malicos. Former Jedi, like yourself. We have much in common.”

“I doubt that.” The Padawan replied, backing away from the circling rogue.

“After the purge, my troops betrayed me. Just as I believe yours did, the both of you. But we all escaped. Me, to this desolate place. The darkness here…it almost took me.”

“I think it did more than that.” Lirii hissed.

“No, girl, I conquered it.”

“Don’t call me ‘girl’. I know you’re the one the Nightbrothers follow and I know you threaten their Sister.” The mirialan continued, wanting to leave but ready for a fight if it came to that. She would make sure that Malicos knew just how well defended they were.

“Well, these savages only respect strength. The force is a most powerful ally, I’m sure you know.” He continued.

“No, you use the force to seize power, that’s everything the Jedi stood against. She stands against that now, unlike you.” Cal took a step forward.

“These are dark times!” Malicos pleaded. “They will consume us if we do not stand together.”

“We don’t need your help. Come on Lirii, leave him.” The two began to walk away, sensing the sinkhole opening behind them if they stayed much longer.

“You saw something terrible in those ruins, didn’t you? Something you wished you’d never see again. Dathomir is full of these dark places.”

 _Kill him! Kill him! Kill them all!_ Her ghost of the past yelled from the tomb. Lirii shook out her wrist, spinning her weapon as an invitation to fight. She wasn’t even thinking until Cal stopped her from charging at Malicos.

“You will need discipline, but I invite both of you join my family. Together we can control the power within this deadly land.”

 _“Join my family, and I can teach you to control the power?!”_ The Nightsister that had been eavesdropping on their conversation materialized above them on a pillar safe from the force-wielders below. “Familiar words, Malicos.” Her brown eyes searched the people below her before settling her dangerous gaze on the oldest.

“Sister Merrin. You overstep your bounds!”

“For years, you said that the Jedi orchestrated the massacre that killed my sisters-.” Cal and Lirii glanced to Malicos in disbelief. Unless you were a Padawan or knight that lived under a rock for the duration of the Clone Wars, you would at least know that the Jedi almost never stepped foot on Dathomir. A place as dark as this was practically forbidden to visit.

“-yet here two stand, and you seek only to bring them into your “family”.”

“You were told to deal with it.” The rogue Jedi growled. “Clearly you lack the power, little witch!”

Lirii set aside her taste for a fight and wrapped her arm around Cal’s, gently walking backwards before the situation blew out of control.

“Power?” The witch’s voice was joined by an unseen chorus of others. “You are mad, Malicos. Dathomir has unmade you. And my misplaced loyalty has allowed you to lead the Nightbrothers astray. Unlike the Jedi, the Nightsisters of Dathomir do not turn on their kind. Our bond is eternal.”

“Your sisters are dead!”

“Yes. Their graves are all around you.”

 _“Time to go.”_ Cal muttered. Lirii and BD agreed.

 _Chonno slalem denni, tay’lori olee ay!_ Nightsister Merrin chanted, green magick flowing from the mountains and into the grave pods hanging above them, as well as any others that remained sealed in the area.

“Foolish girl! This power is beyond your control!” Malicos almost sounded afraid and for some reason that soothed some of the panic rising in Lirii’s chest.

“You all will learn, when you face one Nightsister of Dathomir, you face us all!”  
Dead poured out from the sky in droves. Lirii took Cal’s arm and turned towards the exit, feet pounding the ground away from the shrieking hoard of undead behind them. The mirialan managed a glance behind them as they ran, to the dark figure standing watch at the doorway of the tomb. Somehow watching them both intently even as they grew farther and farther away. Until the red dust they kicked up clouded anything they passed. One or two undead managed to catch up with them, or cut off their escape. Just to dig their claws into the back of Lirii’s leg or scrape Cal’s arm, but they were light enough that escape still seemed possible.

“CERE! Cere, tell Greez to get the Mantis running!” Lirii yelled into her comlink, breathless as she sidestepped another frenzied attack.

“What’s happening?!”

“A Nightsister, she raised the dead!” Cal added. “They’re after us!”

“Woah, woah, and you’re leading them HERE?” Greez replied.

“Captain, prepare for takeoff .” Cere commanded.  


~ ~ ~ 

The Nightsisters became harder and harder to dodge once the Mantis was in sight, gleaming in the half light like the sanctuary it would be if they ever got to it alive. Rocks slid out from under the mirialan’s foot, nearly leading to a dangerous fall had her companion not pulled her upright. “You okay?” He checked briefly. “Yeah, come on!” Lirii sliced the head off a dead Nightsister in their way to the Mantis blast doors until finally they tumbled inside.

“What happened to you two?” The captain asked, looking back at their medic groaning on the floor over a now badly bleeding arm and their Padawan with clear tear stains down his cheeks.

“Go.” Cal said, hardly able to breathe from the sprint. “Just go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, to those who’ve stuck with me for this long: thank you, there will be more to come. And to those who started reading recently: welcome, hope you’re having a good time and thank you for taking a look.  
> I know I’m making sound like this is over but really I didn’t think I’d reach 20 chapters and am proud of myself.  
> Anyway, kudos and comments are very much appreciated! <3


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Cal, you were only a child.”
> 
> “No. I know I could’ve helped him if I’d been stronger and braver, if I would’ve listened to him. I could’ve helped him, I know it!”
> 
> Cere sat down, taking a deep breath in preparation of the story she was about to tell. “Cal, it’s time I told you everything that happened to me when I escaped the Empire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! Enjoy the chapter!

The Mantis pulled off the cracked red surface of Dathomir, swarms of undead witches fighting tooth and nail to try and break through the durasteel hull. With the shared adrenaline wearing off, the true injuries could be revealed. Cal slumped against the doorway to the cockpit, holding the broken lightsaber tightly in his hand.

“What happened? Did you find the tomb?” Cere questioned, looking between the two Padawans. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine, deal with Cal.” Lirii replied. She winced when she moved to look at the blood running in streams down her bicep. Cere couldn’t agree with her at the sight of her wound, but if she insisted.

Cal weakly showed the sparking hilt of the weapon, metal crushed and crystal shattered. Not even a black market trader would have much to say to that. _Useless, worthless._

“Your master’s lightsaber.”

“I saw him. Master Tapal, I… I saw the day he died, I saw what I did. Now it’s destroyed. I couldn’t save him.”

“Cal, you were only a child.”

“No. I know I could’ve helped him if I’d been stronger and braver, if I would’ve listened to him. I could’ve helped him, I know it!”

Cere sat down, taking a deep breath in preparation of the story she was about to tell. “Cal, it’s time I told you everything that happened to me when I escaped the Empire.

The Padawan shifted in his seat, lowering the lightsaber to a more reserved hold instead of brandishing it like a stage prop. He glanced to the back of the ship where his travelling companion had moved with her back against the couch, presumably asleep.

“They brought Trilla in the room.” Cere interrupted, almost straining to get her points across. “And when I saw her eyes… They showed me what I had caused. She was an inquisitor, and something in me gave. And I lost all control, and tapped into the dark side. I killed them all, every last one of them, except for her. For years, I couldn’t forgive myself. I was a wreck, because I had all this rage. And I tried pushing it down but there was no hiding from myself. All I wanted to do was die.” The ex-Jedi took a breath. “But then I learned about the holocron. A spark of hope that there could be a future. That we could move on.” She rose to her feet. “Get up.”

Cal looked up at his new mentor, joining her to stand.

“I can’t change what I did no more than you can change what happened to your Master. It’s in the past.” She added once he tried to interject. “But Cal, you have to make a choice to move on.”

“How?” He asked.

“You’re going to start with this.” Cere pointed to the saber he still held. “You are going to build a new one.”

Cal wiped his eyes with his hand, the pains and aches from their fights on Dathomir coming back to him now the adrenaline had seceded. He took a deep breath, studying the crumpled metal for a few seconds while Cere charted the safest course for Ilum. A rustle made his eyes flick to the mirialan on the floor, speaking hushed commands to BD-1, who was replying with worried beeps.

“Lirii, your arm.”

“Yeah, not too pretty. Are you okay?” Lirii said.

“Am I- am I okay? Are _you_ okay?” Cal replied.

“I… I don’t know.” BD hopped up on the couch holding a single bacta patch. “Cere’s sending you to Ilum?” She continued, thanking the little droid.

“Yes.”

“Bwooop beep.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we can do that now.” Lirii sighed, sounding only half awake. Her voice wavered and trawled, a mess of differing tones. “I am out of bacta, and am going to bleed out by tomorrow if I don’t get more.”

Cere, who was eavesdropping from the cockpit entered the conversation with furrowed brows. “I’m sorry?”

“I don’t have the means to fix this. I’m already tired and cold which would be normal if I could stop the bleeding. But I can’t, and I think it’s getting infected.”

“Greez, stop the ship.” The ex-Jedi ordered. “Lirii, look at me.” She needed the help of a hand on her chin to keep her head up for long. “How long can you hold on for?”

“Six hours? Eight tops.”

Cal met Ceres’ eyes with a common fear. “Stay with her.” She said, which Cal was happy to oblige. He slid in next to Lirii on the floor, ignoring the blood that now stained his pants. Cere left to chart a new course, talking in hushed voices with their captain. At one point he let out a confused exclamation before his business partner could shush him.

“It’s going to be okay.” Cal assured, setting his hand beside Lirii’s. She took it without much hesitation, threading her fingers through his.

“Thank you, Cal. I’m..so sorry.”

“Its ok. You didn’t do anything, only helped.” Cal replied.

“That’s nice. Don’t let me fall asleep, please.”

“I will try my hardest not to.”

“I’m serious, I could go into a coma.” Lirii said, grabbing Cal’s arm to enforce her points.

“Lirii, I promise I will not let you fall asleep.”

The mirialan felt very tired but Cal would nudge her shoulder to keep her up. Until he decided to finally ask some more questions.

“Lirii.” He said.

“Hm?”

“What did you see inside the tomb?”

The question took her aback. “I…I saw what I used to be, the Eighth Sister. She is something that I thought I had put to rest leaving the Empire but.” Lirii took a slow breath. “But I don’t think I can just let go of her, it’s not that easy.”

“Do you still feel like you’re her sometimes?” Did he have to ask these questions now? Probably not but he assumed it would be better to clear some things up before something else bad happened. It surely would.

“No.” She lied. “The Eighth Sister is a ghost and I am sure that she will only haunt me if I let her.”

“Well, you’re wiser than me when it comes to things in the past. Where were you when I needed you on Bracca?” Cal managed something of a joke. Lirii could only wish the stirred thoughts of hers away and smile back. It was rude to keep lying to him like this, and it didn’t feel good, but once she was fixed up then she’d tell him the whole truth. She carefully put her head on Cal’s shoulder, watching as he played with BD-1.

”Cal, you don’t need to pretend like everything’s okay. I know it’s not.” Lirii said.

”I’ll be alright. Don’t worry about me.”

”Easier said than done.”

He sat in silence for a while, every now and again checking to see if his companion had fallen into unconsciousness. Lirii would ask about every five minutes how long it had been since they left Dathomir. One hour passed and she’d finally slowed the bleeding down to a trickle with the help of many towels that would have to be replaced. Cal stayed at her side, only getting up so they could eat before they arrived to…wherever they were going.

After some of the longest two and a half hours of Lirii’s life, the Mantis finally descended from Hyperspace, slowing in front of one very beige, sandy looking planet. A single star destroyer and two light cruisers offered something of a blockade. Cere made some comment that they were pretty frugal on their scanning but that it shouldn’t be a problem for them. They would just have to register once they breached the atmosphere.

“Cere, where are we?” Lirii stood up with the help of Cal, shaking him off so she could get a clear view of the cloudy, dust-filled skies they were flying into. “This isn’t Lothal is it?”

“No, it’s Mandalore.” Greez replied.

“Im sorry, what?” The mirialan’s eyebrows rose as she asked. “Mandalore? The imperial occupied one or the one in the middle of civil war?”

“Both.” The captain chuckled nervously.

“Oh great. That’s great.”

As the Mantis lowered through the clouds of dust and smoke, the dome of Sundari shone beneath them. More imperial convoys moved like insects beneath them, leaving lighter trails of dust in their wake. No Fang-class star fighters, no beskar-armoured entourage, just stormtroopers in their flimsy helmets. Lirii had wanted to visit Mandalore during the clone wars, and very nearly did, but the council decided that neutral systems had to stay neutral. That meant no help from the Republic, or the Jedi. The capital city was supposed to be beautiful, but it didn’t look like much from here.

“Who has a plan?” Greez asked.

“Well, it’s imperial occupied, right?” Cal began. “Can we blend in as Imperials?”

“Cal, that would be a _me_ and not a _we._ I can. There is an officer uniform I keep in the back of my closet, just in case. You guys drop me outside the city limits and I’ll make myself look like I’ve been in a fight. They’ll take me straight to a medic.” Lirii said.

“A mirialan on Mandalore?” Cere asked, arms crossed.

“I only have to fool them for as long as it takes to clean this up. The inquisitors never visited Mandalore, so we should be alright in that department. If things go south I’ll pretend to be one undercover and pull the rank card.”

“I don’t like you going in there alone, Lirii.” Their Captain said.

She sighed. “Unfortunately that’s the best chance we have. And I only have one uniform.”

“If you think that’s the best route we’ve got, we’ll take it. Where do we need to land?” Cere ended the conversation there, while Lirii went to the back to dust off the grey and red uniform she was given to attend quote un quote “civilian” events. She took a knife from the kitchen to tear up the sleeves and it wasn’t much effort to get it covered in blood.

“How do I look?” The undercover mirialan asked, appearing in the doorway like she’d just gotten back from a meeting with some admirals, except for the injuries. Cere took her lightsaber and stored it somewhere safe. Couldn’t exactly blend in with that.

“Horrible.” Greez replied.

“Thank you, means a lot.” Lirii cracked her neck and knuckles once the ship set her down, about a kilometre or so from the nearest Imperial checkpoint.

“You sure you’ll be alright?” Cal called once she dusted herself up to look like she’d been in a real fight.

“I’ll be fine. Ping you when I’m out.”

The sand here felt more like glass, even as it blew in the wind. Brutal sunlight cast shimmering mirages over the surface. Lirii had to be careful to not loose track of where she was going in the delirious heat, only the domed surface of the capital to tell her what direction was the right one.

 _Come on, almost to the checkpoint._ She told herself. And before she knew it, the clicking of blaster rifles alerted her to the appearance of the Imperial checkpoint.

“Please! Help me! I’ve been attacked, my- my convoy was destroyed by terrorists! I am hurt!” The limp and the pleading voice she’d perfected over the years seemed to be of much use now, those stormtroopers didn’t even notify their superiors before they were out to help her. For dramatic effect, and to solidify her route to a medic, Lirii tumbled over into the dirt. Admittedly, it did hurt, but not as much as it would have otherwise. She closed her eyes both to further deepen the lie and to ignore the fact that these were _stormtroopers_ and she _was_ being brought behind severe enemy lines.

“A mirialan officer? Where did she come from?” “I don’t know, but that uniform’s high class. Let’s not risk our necks over asking questions.” The stormtroopers chattered.

 _Aha! Knew this would come in handy._ She thought while being loaded onto a stretcher and then a shuttle. It brought her out of the bright white sun and into the refracting dome of Sundari. For a city once described as a glittering jewel, this version seemed so…sterile. Rows of civilians walked in concise, single file lines but only in the background. She hardly needed to look very hard to see how many troopers there were here. Their gleaming white helmets were everywhere, every platform, every doorway. They certainly didn’t want any funny business here, that’s for certain.

A squad of stormtroopers were soon joined by very clean-looking true mandalorians, with the t shaped visor and the blasters at their sides. Representatives of clan Saxon, here to escort her to the nearest medical centre.

“Do you have a piece of valid identification?” One of them asked.

“No, they- they took it, my code cylinder.” Lirii put on her most ‘I’m hurt please pity me’ voice possible. It would pack more of a punch if she had to use her authoritarian one later.

“Who attacked you ma’am?”

“I don’t know. Mandalorians, with the proper armour. They came in so fast.”

“Another convoy sabotage, that’s the third this week. Make a formal report.” The questioner ordered another trooper. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of the threat.”

“Thank you.” Lirii replied.

After a few minutes of very confusing flying that she’d have a hard time remembering for future use, Lirii was brought into the clean white interior of an Imperial MedCentre. The moment those white lights hit her face her stomach flipped and she very nearly keeled over on the stretcher. _No, stay calm please._ She ordered herself, but it didn’t keep her heart from racing to the point of dizziness. Her eyes became frantic, flicking from one person to the datapad in their hand to the tools on some gurney they passed. _Now is not a good time for a flight or fight response. Calm. The kriff. Down._

Lirii took a few slow, deep breaths, every time telling herself that this would only take a few hours, maybe a day at the most. Then she could slip out of here and go join Cal on his trek through Ilum. Yeah, because all she needed right now was a trek through some frozen wastelands.

A medical droid was waiting once they’d found a room. _Ok, that might be a problem._

“Could I request a biotic medic?” Lirii asked in her most high-class imperial accent.

_“No.”_

_Alright then._

The droid made it’s analysis and the mirialan was given a very uncomfortable shirt to wear. More white, like everything in this place. As much as it unnerved her to have her belongings carted off into a storeroom, it was all part of the plan to make this as convincing as possible.

_“What is your military number?”_

“80085. Would you hurry up?” She snapped, hissing at the introduction of an IV needle. The sight of that metal spike made her heart drop into her stomach, too many nasty encounters with needles.

_“That is not an identification number registered on Mandalore. It does not appear in our database.”_

“I’m not registered in _Mandalore._ I am a high official in the imperial security bureau, working directly under the orders of The Emperor himself. You do not have the authority to question my identity. Now, may I get a human medic?”

The medical droid submitted a report and pressed a paging button on the wall, which a well-dressed human with her hair pulled back was quick to answer. She brought in a floating tray full of medical equipment and syringes, that made Lirii flinch.

It was rather quiet while she checked out the packed wound, looking around with a probe until the metal tool clanged back into a bowl.

“We’ll get you into a bacta tank as soon as possible, ma’am. On behalf of the Mandalorian sector of the Empire, I sincerely apologize for how you’ve been treated. We were unaware that we had an inquisitor visiting.”

 _Inquisitor?_ Lirii stiffened. “How did you know that?” Her accent slipped, and she just prayed that the medic didn’t notice.

“I used to be a medic at the fortress, but I’m sure you know they replace them every few rotations. Don’t worry, you’ll have the best treatment here, I’m sure.”

The mirialan didn’t say anything else, the fear coursing through her veins prevented it. Before she could register anything, the doctor was at her IV line and injecting another liquid.

“See you in a few hours.” She said, as Lirii passed out of consciousness again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my hiatus is over 🎉 and I am back to working much more on this fic. Chapters (almost) 1-15 have been re-worked and edited to fit better with the pacing, plotlines, etc. So if you haven’t, maybe give those a read too.
> 
> Other than that, I hope you are all having a good day/night and as always comments and kudos are appreciated. Thank you!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is one hell of a rollercoaster so STRAP IN FOLKS

The panic of the hospital was chemically kept at bay once Lirii woke up in the confines of a medical suite. It was dark, mostly, save for the lamp beside her and the blinking lights of green, red and white on the machine that told her vital signs.

She focused on the rest of the room: the closed blackout blinds, the clip on her thumb that measured oxygen and finally a solid red light where the ceiling met the wall right in front of her bed. A camera. _Damn it._ That would be a problem. Lirii coughed. Obviously this place hadn’t been used in a while with the fine dust in the air.

She found and pressed a yellow button to call in a nurse with her right hand. Her right hand? She could move! Finally, and not much more pain than if she’d strained a muscle. A different human nurse came in through the door and flicked on the light. Lirii’s eyes strained to adjust, but at least now she could see the tight wrapping on her shoulder.

“Feeling better, ma’am?” Lirii had to try not to cringe, she’d always hated that title, especially when it was used in reference to her.

“Yes, I am. When may I be discharged?” She replied.

“Tomorrow morning there will be a shuttle sent to collect you and take you back to your headquarters.”

“What?” Lirii barked, mouth hanging open and eyes dark beneath her brows. The look on the nurses face couldn’t have illustrated better her confusion, as she scanned the vital signs on the monitor, searching for what could’ve caused this unease. “I’m sorry, my shoulder hurt just then.” _Stop apologizing you’re supposed to be an Inquisitor._

“We can always increase your dose of painkillers.” The nurse said, fiddling with the IV tube.

“No! No. Do you have them in something other than intravenous?” Lirii asked. Those things made her too groggy to form a plan, and if she slept through the day and night and the shuttle came to get her…well, this whole mission would be for nothing.

“We have pills. I will go get them.” Just as the medic left, the mirialan spotted the code cylinder on her lapel. Two, actually. _Perfect._ Once she returned, Lirii used the force to slide one into her hand while the nurse set her medication down on the side table. No thank yous, not this time. She just slid the cylinder under her leg and patiently waited for the medic to take record of her vital signs and leave. The lights flickered for just a moment but she thought nothing of it.

The day was long, just pacing around the room and the refresher attached. Gazing out the triple paned viewport into the blue-grey platforms of Mandalore and way up to the rafters where more troopers patrolled. Their white duraplast shells reflecting the natural light like beetles in the sun. Even from a place close to the ground, it was easy to see them. _Too many. Too many to escape you’ll never get out of here alive._ That way of thinking didn’t get her out of the Empire’s grasp before and it sure as hell wouldn’t now. No, Lirii needed to leave, and at night would probably be best, but before that she needed some supplies. Every MedCentre had a storage unit for their bacta and instruments. If she could get to that then-

The door swung open, slamming against the wall opposite. Guess no one here knew how to knock. A stormtrooper, bringing in a cart with what looked like a major’s uniform, folded nice and neat on the stark metal.

“Who are you?” Lirii asked, staring down whoever was behind the helmet with as fearsome a glare as she could. By the stars she hated those faceless drones.

“A friend. Brought you some better clothes.” The trooper replied in a tone way too complacent for her liking. She may not be an Inquisitor now but if this person knew her “rank” they would fear being sliced in half.

“You have some nerve speaking to your superior like that, trooper. I will make some consequences for the way you just spoke.” The mirialan stepped up to the intruder who was taller by a good couple of inches.

“You know, Lirii,” the stormtrooper, who couldn’t possibly get more irritating, removed his helmet. “You are really intimidating if it weren’t for that dress.”

Cal Kestis.

Lirii took a millisecond to process the stupid smile before she glanced to the camera and pulled him by the collar into the refresher. “This is fun.” He said when she closed the door, again impossibly smug.

“SHUT UP. Cal Kestis what in the galaxy are you doing here? This was a solo thing.” Lirii said, more worried than angry. “And _where_ did you get that armour?”

“I found it. And Cere said it was okay, she sliced into their network. Just thought you might want some help.” Cal replied.

“Cal… okay. Look, I’m just now going to be worried about you. Do you have any idea what they’d do to you if they caught you? It would be game over, for all of us.”

“Lirii they won’t catch me. I’ll follow your plan, if you have one.”

There was a thick quiet as the mirialan struggled with the reality of Cal Kestis in her Imperial MedCentre suite in a stormtrooper uniform on MANDALORE of all places. And she, a former inquisitor was standing in front of him in a god awful gown. Planning aside he did look pretty good in that flimsy armour. No. Focus.

“Well, right now the plan is to steal as much bacta as we can get and leave at night, preferably an hour or two after lights out, that’s when patrols usually start to get sleepy. Then we sneak out of the city and back to the Mantis. Then we leave.”

“Okay, well where’s the bacta?” Cal replied, leaning on the sink.

“Should be in a storeroom somewhere on this floor. A door that says staff only with a big red and yellow sign.”

“There are patrols that go through the halls here, I can just pretend I’m on one of those and have a look around for you.”

“That’s risky, Cal.” The medic replied. “Come right back when you find it, okay?”

“I will. That dress looks good on you by the way.” He said as he reached for his helmet.

“There’s one on the Mantis if you want to try it on when we get back, buckethead.”

Cal laughed and left the room to go on his fake patrol, leaving Lirii to hide the stolen uniform in the refresher. The nurse would be back soon to deliver dinner, and that would not look very good.

The doors opened and wheels from the cart squeaked on the floor, Lirii still in the refresher when it came to a stop.

“Ma’am, your dinner is ready. Shall I put it on your bed?”

“Yes. And when is lights-out here?” She asked.

“Lights out is at 10:30. But not for someone as high rank as you, you may be awake for as long as you need to. We have patrols around the floors and a medic is always awake should you need anything.” The nurse took her empty trays and left the room, leaving Lirii with the extra information she needed. While Lirii moved to sit on the papery sheets of the bed, the nurse came back in suddenly, with a large duraplast box.

“So sorry to interrupt, but someone sent a trooper to give you a gift.” She placed the present beside the tray containing what was supposed to be dinner. Lirii acknowledged with a curt nod while she unwrapped the utensils to eat. Once the nurse had left, the mirialan set down and abandoned her meal. If anything here would trigger a flashback it would be that disgusting grey-ish meat and mystery cubed vegetables in jelly. Instead she opened the white box and was inundated in sterile packets of bacta gel, sprays, sutures and wrappings. This many supplies could keep her little gig on the Mantis going for at least a year, even if they had some bad run-ins.

A knock at the door barely drew her attention from counting the sheer diversity of the supplies in front of her. But she cleaned it up and placed every single one before answering whoever was waiting outside. Low and behold, a stormtrooper. Lirii invited him in and clicked a do not disturb button beside her.

“Is Cere still sliced into the cameras?” She whispered.

“Pretty sure.” Came his modulated reply.

“Okay, get comfortable while I try and get a plan going. If the nurse comes back you get in the refresher, alright?”

“Sounds good. Ugh, can’t see anything through that thing.” Cal set the helmet beside him while he poked at the food on Lirii’s tray. “This is what you eat in the Empire?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Keep watch, I’m going to change.” Lirii replied.

“Yessir.” He saluted lazily and flopped back of the sheets with a crunch of duraplast. “I can see why you left!” She heard through the door and what sounded like a mouthful of the meal. It was supposed to be funny, Lirii knew that, though the joking was almost dismissive when she was so close to the place she’d left.

The mirialan gazed at herself in the mirror with her hands bracing on the sides of the sink, tears welling unbidden in her eyes but she couldn’t look away. Coldly, they fell down her cheeks and made a light sound upon impact with the metal. She wasn’t the same, not even since Bracca. New feelings, new fears and too many of each. Lirii sank to her knees, leaning against the cabinet that held her disguise and cried. Falsely alone and definitely not safe, she doubted she’d ever be either of those things again with the path she’d been set on. _Enough of this. Get up._ That was the best thing to do now, was get moving. Cal had gotten those things for her and she hadn’t thanked him yet, and by the look outside it was already almost time to go. From her view in the tiny viewport of the refresher, lights all across Sundari were snuffed out like candles. Until massive spotlights were lit from different platforms, their white-lit gaze could seal their doom faster than they could run away. Never mind all that, she had a uniform to get into again.

Cal was nearly asleep by the time she emerged from the refresher, cleaned up as much as she could with the limited hair supplies.

“Hey, what time is it?” Cal asked without opening his eyes.

“Time for you to get off the bed. We’re leaving in half an hour.” Lirii replied.

“Half an hour? I thought you said- were you crying?” He sat up to face his companion.

“No. I’m just tired.”

“Lirii..”

“Cal, please don’t do that. I’m okay, just a bit stressed.” She said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Okay I won’t bring it up again. Hey, your arm.”

“Yeah they stuck me in a bacta tank. Anyway, thank you for being here, I’d probably panic if you weren’t. So, we’re leaving so soon because I have a bad feeling about what is going to happen so I’d rather get back to the Mantis now. And, since you were so kind as to “skillfully acquire” me the medical supplies, we don’t have to go get them.” She explained, pacing around the room in her uniform.

“You’re welcome. Kriff, the nurse!” Cal vaulted over the bed and slid beside it. Lirii thought quick on her feet and stood beside the door she hadn’t even heard knocking from. Carefully she stretched to unlock the door and it swung open. The medic caught sight of the helmet on the bed and the stolen supplies and froze, just long enough for Lirii to bring her fists down hard on her head, knocking her out cold. As to avoid too much noise she caught her before she hit the floor and dragged her to the refresher. Cal rose from his poor hiding place like a scared bogling from it’s hole.

“That was impressive.”

“Thank you. But change of plans we’re leaving, now.” Lirii grabbed the box of supplies and haphazardly tossed the helmet back to Cal. “Follow my lead and don’t shoot anyone.”

“Oh I brought you another present, forgot to tell you.” As carefully as he could, the Padawan slipped a lightsaber into Lirii’s hand. She couldn’t be mad, not when she felt like she may need it. “Thanks.” Was all she whispered back, keeping the weapon hidden in her sleeve.

No one batted an eye at their passing through the doors of the MedCentre, and even when they walked through a spotlight it continued it’s lazy journey past them and down the street. Both Lirii and Cal breathed a heavy sigh of relief at that. So far so good. Then, shouting and a blaring alarm from the way they’d came. Stormtroopers flooded into the streets while TIEs whined overhead. Spotlights moved quickly towards their location and sent a spike of cold down Lirii’s back. “Run.” She hissed, taking off with Cal’s armoured hand in hers. More Imperial troops cut off their escape and Lirii, seeing no other escape, ignited her saber. They startled at the sight but began firing, and as they did-

 **Boom!** A massive explosion of red and yellow lit up the sector larger than any of the spotlights could, raining glass and shrapnel down on the crowd. A different wailing siren warned of the mandalorian rebels, their armour dull, colourful and far stronger than any Imperial trash.

The sound of the explosion rang in Lirii’s ears, completely stupefying until Cal brought her to her feet.

“You okay? Hey! Come on, get up! We need to go.” He said, his voice quiet through the ringing. Lirii couldn’t understand his words, not a single one. Lirii felt different, completely different. The Padawan had to move away when her eyes, frantic and blown wide found him. She held her weapon in a death grip, shaking out the other wrist like it was hurting. “Lirii, what’s wrong?”

 _Well, would you look at that. A Jedi without a lightsaber, this should be an easy fight…_ A cruel and dangerous voice in her head said. She twirled the lightsaber in her hand and sunk into a fighting stance.

“Lirii! What are you doing?!” Cal glanced over his shoulder at running stormtroopers, a whole squad being mowed down by some unseen person with a heavy blaster.

“I can’t believe you trusted me for this long.” She replied with a voice full of venom. _No. No this wasn’t her. It was every one of her nightmares playing out in reality._ Lirii took a quick swing that was easily dodged, then another and another, fuelled by some savage anger and fear she hadn’t felt in a very long time. _Stop it! Please stop!”_ Lirii could feel the tears running down her cheeks, and Cal could see her tormented face as she tried to fight off whatever caught hold of her. She just couldn’t stop.

The Padawan stumbled and almost fell. His face torn in fear and confusion and…he didn’t want to admit it, but betrayal. He knew couldn’t be Lirii, someone must be pulling at the strings but if he didn’t fight back he might not get a chance to tell her that. That thought settled in quickly when one of her strikes came far too close to his neck for her to be fooling around.

Lirii had Cal on the defensive, pulling small crates at the side of the road to try and slow her down. Almost everyone was either sidestepped or sliced through. Until she pulled a swift jump off the top of a larger one and came lurching overhead with her lightsaber ready to swing.

The mirialan felt the lightsaber recoil ever so lightly as it hit her target, and once more, but not for long as she was sent flying by Cal’s last-ditch effort to bring her back to her senses.

Lirii hit the ground hard. Hard enough for things to register again. Like the fires burning around her, the indistinct chatter and yells in the background, and the fact that Cal was on the ground not moving a few feet away from her. She crawled to her feet and stumbled on her way over to where her friend had a significant slice in his armour from his bicep and stretching across his chest. Not too deep to be definitively fatal, but it would definitely start bleeding if she moved him. Well, the one on his leg would be dangerous if she even tried to access it. “No, nononono. Cal, please get up! Get up, I am so sorry.” Lirii placed both her hands on the sides of his head, feeling a strong pulse in his neck but shallow breaths.

 _“Do you need help, Jedi?”_ A sharp voice said from behind her. She could hardly hear, but turned to look up at the furrowed brows of an armoured mandalorian, her painted helmet held on her hip with one hand while she brushed a strand of orange hair from her face with the other.

“What? No, get away!” Lirii snapped, eyes burning from unshed tears of guilt.

“He doesn’t look like he’ll make it without a medic.” The warrior said, now flanked by two others, one carrying a medkit .

“I- I am a medic, I just…”

“It’s okay, we can help. Is your ship nearby?”

“Yeah, uh, over there somewhere. Probably out of range though.” She replied, finding the bacta in what supplies she could grab.

“That’s not going to do much right now, trust me. You need to get that armour off but this place is going to be flooded with Imps in a few minutes. Let us help.”

Lirii looked at the collapsible stretcher one of the mandalorians carried and back to Cal who was still breathing, but the cut across his arm was already seeping blood, as was the one on his chest. If she wanted him to survive, now was when she needed to let go of her guilt.

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Okay. Help me get him up?”

Lirii clipped her weapon to her belt and helped get her wounded friend onto the stretcher. The mandalorians had seemed to multiply since her talk with their leader. They strapped the Padawan into the backplate as he had begun to stir lifting his head and groaning faintly before laying back down. The mandalorians took off with the injured in tow, all very careful not to falter in their flight.

Bo-Katan signalled to some of her unseen allies on a higher platform, who brought around a couple small speederbikes. “Take one, and follow them. We’ll signal your ship so it’s not so out it in the open.” Lirii stared a thousand yards away after the receding mandalorians carrying Cal. “Hey, are you listening?”

“Yes, sorry.” She climbed aboard one of the bikes and took off away from incoming troopers. Keeping to the shadows was easy now that the traps had been sprung, and away from hovering TIEs. They fled through a hole in the dome and out into the cold deserted night of Mandalore, heading quickly towards some rocky cliffs. The Mantis, however, hadn’t arrived. 

“Lady Bo-Katan.” One of the Mandos said, intercepting her just-landed leader.

“Yes, what’s wrong?” She replied.

“The ship isn’t listening. They don’t believe us.”

“You’ve told them their Jedi are with us?”

The warrior nodded. “You, can you talk to them?”

Lirii agreed and patched into the Mantis’ frequency, that was answered by a very worried Cere. “Lirii what-”

“Cere, you have to come now. I.. I hurt Cal really bad, he’s unconscious now and I’m going to help. But please, hurry, he’s not very good.”

The ex-Jedi didn’t have any words to reply properly, she just told Greez to get to their coordinates as quickly as possible. Lirii sank to her knees beside Bo, who made an exasperated sigh.

“You can’t stay like this, Jedi.”

“I’m not a Jedi.”

Ignoring the urge to point out her lightsaber, the mandalorian continued. “Fine. But you said you’re a medic, and you’re the one with the supplies. Get off the ground and fix him up. I didn’t see what you did and I certainly don’t know why, but you cannot get anything done from down there.” She offered her hand to the mirialan, who wrapped it in her own and was pulled to her feet.

Cal was set on a table with the armour, his shirt and part of his pant leg removed, left in a pile beside him. Lirii had to be glad he was still asleep and breathing by the time she entered the tent. She got out the bacta and sutures and realized very quickly that

Cal was set on a table with the armour, his shirt and part of his pant leg removed, left in a pile beside him. Lirii had to be glad he was still asleep and breathing by the time she entered the tent. She got out the bacta and sutures and realized very rapidly that she’d nicked his collarbone in her attack. Thankfully, included in the supplies he stole was two or three bone stabilizers. Paired with the bacta, Lirii didn’t think he’d die at least. Though some wounds she knew weren’t always on the outside. How would he ever trust her again? She should just through her lightsaber away for all the good it seemed to do.

“Your ship is here.” A stray mando informed, the tarp in the doorway flapping in the cool night wind.

“Thank you.” Lirii replied. Cal was stable enough to wheel him onto the Mantis, but he needed lots of rest and probably plenty more healing before they went to Ilum. Damn it, she’d ruined that for him too.

“Lirii…” Cere had appeared in the room with Greez not far behind. “What happened?” She hugged the exhausted mirialan. A surprise to be sure but a welcome one.

“I don’t know, I just lost control. It was like one of my nightmares, like I was an inquisitor again, and Cal was just there. I didn’t mean to.”

“I believe you, Lirii.” Greez said. Even Cere didn’t expect that response. “I know you’d never hurt Cal, not even if you were at blaster point.”

“Thank you Greez.” The ex-Jedi replied. “Should we get him on the ship?”

“Yes. Don’t want him panicking in the middle of a mandalorian camp and hurting himself.” Lirii answered. The two other members of the crew, though still confused, helped escort the wounded Padawan onto the Mantis. Their medic apologized and thanked the leader of these armoured warriors before leaving.

“The Jedi were not always friends of Mandalore, but under my rule I’m sure they will be. I never got your name, though. Cant be calling you Jedi if you’re not.”

“Lirii.” She took the forearm of the Mandalorian in front of her.

“Bo-Katan. Good luck.” Bo said, giving her arm a firm shake in reply.

“You too.” Lirii was quick to run back to the ship after her friend who had been moved safely to his room while they began the long journey to Ilum.

Lirii pulled in a chair and sat beside him for as long as she could, dozing off every once in a while with her head on her hand. In the half an hours she forced herself awake, she would check on his bandages and change them carefully of the need arose. At least with a lightsaber would, not too much bleeding would be involved, and the need for wasting cloth could be limited.

Cere stepped into the room and broke Lirii out of another nap. She hadn’t moved from her seat for the past three hours.

“You should get some proper rest, maybe take a shower?” She suggested. “I can look after him.”

“No, I’m going to stay here until he wakes up and I know he’s safe.” The mirialan insisted through bagged bloodshot eyes.

“Lirii, he is as safe as he can be.”

“This was _my_ fault and I am going to make sure that I am the only one responsible for mending it.”

Cere knew she couldn’t talk her out of this one, not when she’d already been keeping watch for this long. She got the poor medic some tea, which was much appreciated.

Lirii had fallen asleep again half leaning on Cal’s cot when his arm nudged her head. She sat bolt upright, hair a mess from her varied sleeping positions but now wide awake.

“Ow…Lirii..? You there?” Cal murmured, turning his head ever so slightly.

“Yes. Cal, I’m so sorry.” Lirii replied, hesitant as to wether she should hold his hand.

“Shh. Please, don’t apologize. That wasn’t you, I know that.” He took hold of hers. “You know that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you! This ended up longer than i was planning but I didn’t want to leave my readers hanging on too much of a cliff. Hope y’all liked it!  
> Remember to leave kudos if you haven’t already, and let me know what you thought in the comments!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But, on Mandalore…how do I know that’ll never happen again?”
> 
> “You don’t, but you can tell one of us if you feel different. Cal’s more comfortable with you than he is with any of us, tell him at least. Remember that your past is not who you are, and you’ve come such a long way. Who you are now depends on what your next step to take is, what do you want to do?”
> 
> A little less angst in this one, which i am not complaining about because this crew deserves better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while, got a bit laggy with my writing. Enjoy!

From that moment it took a whole three days for Cal to wake completely. He would go through phases of unconsciousness, during which Lirii would seize the opportunity of checking vitals without any pain on his part. She set a drip going beside his bed and kept herself busy by sleeping in a makeshift cot beside his. In the few hours Cal was awake, he was in no fit state to do anything more than sit against the wall next to his bed and talk. Not about anything very complicated either, just how far away Ilum was- which was, in reality, very far away. More than a three week journey away, only lengthened by the need for pit stops at backwater planets where the Empire wouldn’t recognize their ship.

Lirii still felt more guilty than she managed to say, and spent most of her time occupying the Padawan and his little droid as best she could. BD jumped and prodded at her tinkering at some things Cal had brought back from his adventures, namely some strands of wire, a few small smooth stones and some fabric from her own collection.

“Can I help with that?” Cal appeared over her shoulder, scaring the mirialan half out of her skin.

“You are not supposed to be standing! Sit down before you hurt yourself. Please?” Lirii replied, offering her seat, which he took because in fact standing _did_ hurt, but the face of relief on his friend once he was settled was worth it. From his point of view, Lirii hadn’t been rid of a worried crease in her brow since Mandalore. Even in the times he’d pretended to be asleep just to catch her saying how sorry she was, while clutching his hand to stress how much she meant it. He’d forgiven her for everything she’d done, she just couldn’t seem to forgive herself. Cal must admit that she was endlessly stubborn.

“What are you doing?” He asked again.

“I was just trying to keep my hands busy, that’s all. Now your stitches are set and your bandages don’t need replacing as often, I need something to work on until we get to Ilum.” Lirii explained, almost embarrassed at the fact that she didn’t know how to use half the tools in his drawers.

“Prauf used to show me how to make little things when we worked on Bracca. He called them good luck charms.” Cal mentioned.

“Did they bring you luck back then?”

“If you asked me that two years ago I probably would’ve said no. I uh, actually wasn’t very good at the whole scrapper thing in the beginning.”

Lirii chuckled. “Really?”

“Yeah, after I took a nasty fall I didn’t think they worked very well. Broke three ribs and my arm on that one. But now I think about it, they did bring me luck. Kept me safe from the Empire. Wish you were there, then.”

Lirii smiled like it would kill her if she overdid it, trying to hide the fact that Cal’s kind words were actually bringing some warmth to her face. “Thank you. But honestly you’re too nice to me, after what I’ve done..”

“Lirii, I want you to listen to me. No, look at me, please.” Cal insisted. She met his eyes and set down the scraps that were not much use anyway. “You are not a bad person. The Eighth Sister is not _you._ I think I’m getting to know the real you, and I think that that person is amazing, and brave and smart. And way better at fixing up people than I am.”

Her eyes flicked away from his grey stare. “I still trust you.”

“I trust you too. More than I have anyone in a long time.” Lirii sniffled. “Going to get me crying in a second. Can I send you back to bed or do you want to come out into the light?”

“I’ll come out for a few minutes. Do you know how long until we get to Ilum?”

Lirii shook her head. “You should ask Cere or Greez. I’m going to get some sleep.” She waved to the captain and the ex-Jedi and left to the quiet of her room.

Meditation hadn’t been achievable the past few weeks, not after the events of Dathomir and Mandalore brought everyone down into a slump. Cal was good at hiding it, but from experience Lirii knew that it wasn’t all sweetness and light that he told through joking quips and honeyed words. Though, the words were probably truthful, which was something that Lirii couldn’t have dreamed of thinking before. She tried meditating for a while but it didn’t work. The floor seemed to rock back and forth like a raft on an ocean, and it brought a steady calm to the mirialan’s torment, just enough to lull her into a deep sleep. Strangely deep for being on the floor.

Cere didn’t press Cal about what transpired in Sundari, she felt it was too raw to prod at now. Doing so would only make the brittle atmosphere shatter, and they’d need all the shielding they could get from the inevitable storm that would meet them on Ilum. That planet of ghosts was their only chance at continuing their mission, they all knew that. Though some (Greez) didn’t quite understand the importance of that ball of ice, he was always trying to.

Cal wasn’t much in the way of small talk now either, just chatting idly with BD-1. The little droid hopped along the edge of the holotable and sprang to his arm with overjoyed beeps once he noticed him.

“Hey, little buddy.” The Padawan groaned, failing to persuade a knot out of his neck. Made only harder with the sling Lirii had wrapped rather tightly around his arm. BD scanned and let Cal know his dissatisfaction about his current situation. “ _Bwoop bop?”_

“I’ll be okay.”

_Be-be-beep trill?”_

“She’s okay too, I think. Do you want to go check on her?” The corners of Cal’s mouth cinched up ever so slightly once the droid nodded and set off down the hall. Cere offered a hand on Cal’s un-injured shoulder as she passed, following BD-1 to check on their medic.

So far their mirialan and ex-jedi hadn’t had the most luck in ‘talking’ the past few months, especially since the Empire and the Force were both touchy subjects for the two. Cere couldn’t believe the thought when it appeared in her head, but for once she wished they could discuss some overly dramatic show on the holonet. Or recent news that wasn’t filled with gloom. It wouldn’t be long before this mission was done, she told herself, knocking on Lirii’s painted door. That was they best any of them could do right now, tell themselves the things they’d like to hear.

The door opened without prompt from the person within, who was curled under a blanket in the middle of the floor. For the day behind them and the things it had dredged up from the murk, her face was set in a soft calm. Cere almost felt bad for waking her.

“Lirii. Lirii, can we talk for a bit?”

Lirii only half opened her eyes to see what the noise was, tried to process who was talking, didn’t process it and rolled over to fall back asleep. Cere sighed and resigned to sit on the carpet, shaking Lirii’s cold shoulder until she groaned in protest and curled tighter. “Does breakfast need to be ready before you wake up, Lirii?”

“That’d be great, thanks, Cere.” The mirialan joked despite the fog in her brain taking an unrealistic time clearing.

“There is some fresh caf.”

“Ooh, really?” Lirii sat up straight, the blanket crumpling around her arms.

“Yes, but can we talk before you get up?” Cere asked. To which her force-sensitive crew mate agreed, still thinking of that precious drink that practically replaced the blood running through her veins some days. “Lirii, I want to make sure you’re okay. Mandalore did not go to plan, I know that. And I overheard you talking to Cal.”

“I think I’ll be okay. To be honest I’m more worried about Cal than I am about myself. He’s been through a lot recently and he doesn’t seem to say anything to me about it.”

“Well, you do need to worry about yourself once in a while. Please, Lirii, you look like you’ve been in the front lines.” Cere was right, even with the sleep she’d gotten, the mirialan had dried blood on her cheek and dust in her bed-messed hair. “What’s wrong?”

There was no running from this conversation, even less so when BD hopped up on her lap, tilting his little binocular shaped head in question.

“Cere, I don’t know if I can trust myself. Whatever we do, wherever we go, it seems like nothing ever goes to plan. _Ever,”_ she stressed, “we just dive headfirst into things and normally I’d be okay with that, but now I feel like I’m the extra variable that has to be taken into account. I’m unstable, Cere. Can’t relax, can’t let my guard down again.” Lirii admitted, gathering the blanket over her shoulders again.

“You sounded like you were getting better when you spoke with Cal.” Cere pointed out.

“Sure, I sounded like it. Doesn’t mean I’m not fighting with myself constantly. As much as he says he does, I still don’t think Cal trusts me anymore. He knows what I am.”

“And what are you?”

“I’m- I’m an inquisitor. Once was, always will be.” The mirialan replied, voice low and defeated. BD warbled, his little feet clinking against the exposed grating on the floor like an anxious dog.

“That’s your first mistake. You _were_ an inquisitor, the past there matters. No matter what anyone has told you, that is not who you are anymore. Do you hear me, Lirii?” Cere grabbed the medic’s hand in hers, it was cold and shaky. 

“But, on Mandalore…how do I know that’ll never happen again?”

“You don’t, but you can tell one of us if you feel different. Cal’s more comfortable with you than he is with any of us, tell him at least. Remember that your past is not who you are, and you’ve come such a long way. Who you are now depends on what your next step to take is, what do _you_ want to do?”

That was quite the speech. Before the Empire, Lirii had known Cere to be a wise general with a knack for keeping her troop’s morale at a reasonable level. Not like her and Trilla’s pranks had anything to do with that. At least nowadays her address was doing a similar thing, and still packed the same punch that it did all those years ago. It reassured Lirii to no end.

“I’d like to have a shower.” She decided with a tired smile.

Cere sighed and smiled back. “Good idea. You’ll feel better, I’m sure.”

BD-1, who no one had no idea left, poked his head back in the room with a series of informative beeps. Cal had eaten the rest of the food leftover in the fridge and was back in bed. “Okay and I’ll make some food when I get out.” She stood and contemplated hugging Cere, which she did to the ex-Jedi’s surprise. “Thank you, Cere.”

“You’re welcome. If you need anything..”

“I will let you know.”

Snoring could be heard from both ends of the ship, effects of the light tunnel that was hyperspace and the gentle white noise that the engine made. Cere headed to her room most likely to do the same. Everyone had sleep on their minds. Even BD hopped up on his charging pad and went into low power mode, so it was just Lirii alone in the quiet ship. She gathered her towels in her sore, tired arms and made her way on silent feet to the refresher, closing Cal’s door on the way. No one needed to see him with his jaw slacked open nearly drooling on his pillow. Lirii allowed herself a light laugh at his situation and reminded herself that he would be okay. They would be okay.

In the fresher she ran a warm bath, something she hadn’t had in a long time and that was frightfully overdue. The water wasn’t long to tint a muddy mix of brownish red shades that she rinsed down the drain with clean water. Without the mask of dried blood and clothes, Lirii counted at least ten more injuries from yesterday alone, and carefully inspected the wrappings covering her shoulder.

Wasn’t too bad for an Imp medic, though she supposed she couldn’t do much better. The stitches were neatly set but visible with contrasting black thread. She’d never do that to any of her patients, make sure she’d always use clear or toned fibers so they didn’t have to think about their injury. Some of the people she patched up were vain like that.

Other than the occasional swishing of the water, the fresher was calmly silent. Lirii got up and rinsed off before she fell asleep, it was all too easy in the warm bathtub. The mat on the floor couldn’t have been softer beneath her feet, after all that time looking after her crewmate. Lirii wrapped a towel around herself, tiptoeing out of the refresher to slip as swiftly as possible back into her room to change. Cal had managed to wrap himself tightly in a burrito of blankets from what Lirii could see. She sighed heavily and shut her door.

After a brief change into comfortable clothes and introduction of a brand new cardigan she’d “skillfully acquired” on Lothal, Lirii strode into Cal’s room. Just in time for him to call out her name. She would’ve rolled her eyes if he didn’t sound like a wounded animal.

“Cal! Cal, easy when you’re sitting up. What’s wrong?” Lirii couldn’t finish her sentence before she saw the blood staining his shirt and the wrappings above it.

“It- it hurts. Lirii it’s bad, isn’t it?” Cal groaned through gritted teeth.

“Shh, no it’s not bad you’ve just torn stitches.” She hissed at the reddened skin enveloping some popped sutures. “You’ll be okay.”

Lirii brought a syringe full of painkillers and antibiotics to the IV.

“That’s better..” The Padawan sighed. “Sorry I got so dramatic.”

“Don’t say that, I love when you’re dramatic. Okay can I check your vitals now?”

“You love when I’m dramatic? I’ll have to get hurt more often. Wow your hands are cold!” Lirii rolled her eyes without apology. He could deal with a cold hand on his neck for fifteen seconds.

“Why’s your hair wet?”

“Has someone lost a brain?” The mirialan chuckled. “I just had a shower, idiot.” She had to try not to gasp when Cal reached up and placed his hand over hers. He winced as he gathered the bloodstained hand in both of his, bringing it to his mouth to warm it with his breath.

“Ookay, thanks Cal.” Lirii pulled her arm back before her face could darken any further. “Dinner’s in about an hour.”

Cal set his head back down on the pillow, staring with heavy-lidded eyes at the seams of metal on the ceiling and a self-satisfied smile on his face.

By the time she realized she’d been staring into the fridge for way too long, the flush had gone from her face but unfortunately not the static in her brain. What was _that?_ Nothing, surely. Only Cal trying to get payback for all the other times she’d playfully teased. But it didn’t mean anything. She was probably overthinking it and all that it was was a kind gesture. He didn’t like her like that, he didn’t! How could he?

“Lirii, what are you doing?”

She nearly jumped right out of her skin at Greez’s question. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

The latero captain laughed. “That’s a first. Head in the clouds, much?” Lirii took a deep breath and washed her hands, thankful that her overseer didn’t notice the blood draining down the sink. “So what are you making for dinner?”

“I thought I’d make some stir fry. Something easy, at least.” She replied.

“And I’m guessing you don’t need my help.”

“Nope, you can take some caf to Cal though for me?”

He agreed to take the poor tired Padawan some of that live-giving liquid while Lirii focused her straying thoughts and got to work. BD-1 joined her soon enough, his beeps filled with mirth now that everyone had seemed to settle. Lirii was, as she often tried to be, cautiously optimistic. She couldn’t help but be wary about going back to Ilum. None of them had been there in at least a decade, and the mirialan didn’t think she would be able to handle it if all the progress she’d made slid out from under her again. _Enough of that now._ She told herself. _No help in worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet._

“Food’s ready!” Lirii called.


End file.
